Reminiscence
by ToxicMKT
Summary: Jazmine DuBois is notorious for having THE perfect life. Girls want to be her, guys want to date her. Huey Freeman is notorious for having no life. Girls ignore him, guys keep away from him. He is the last person Jazmine wants to have in her world, until one night changes everything, and suddenly, Huey Freeman is the only man in the world who can see her for who she truly is.
1. Prologue

Oki doki guys, here's my idea for my new story!:) It obviously wouldn't all fit in the description so….enjoy!

JazmineDuBois has the perfect parents, the perfect relationship, the perfect life. At eighteen years of age, with a steady track leading her straight into her dream fashion University, nothing could be better. She was one of the popular girls, known and loved by all, flawless in both image and personality. Her boyfriend, Michael Caesar, mirrored her perfectionist image perfectly, just as prominent a person, and the two were convinced they would be together forever.

Huey Freeman has no parents, no relationship, and the most imperfect life you could dream of. He is simply the boy next door, the total opposite and long lost best friend of the angelic Jazmine DuBois. Ignored by all, the young revolutionist has learnt the tricks of the trade to sink into the background just about anywhere, even when with his best friend, socialist Michael Caesar. He was sure of his fate a long time ago, and he was convinced he would be alone forever.

But then one morning, after a drunken party, Jazmine awakes to a life that has been turned completely on its head. A life full of imperfections, a life bombarded with rivalling parents and angry peers. A life that seems strangely empty of Michael Caesar, and strangely full of Huey Freeman.

Interested? Then tell me! If I don't get told to write this, then it won't happen. And don't you dare try to copy the idea either! So come on guys, review and tell me why you do or don't want me to write this! It's totally down to you now, want to read this story?

Then review!

Check my profile for updates about any stories, btw:) Love you guys:D


	2. A Perfect Life

Well look who's _finally_ updated! Ah dear, it's taken a while, I'm sorry:/ I'm in the middle of exams and I've got heaps of revision so be glad I made this out at all^^; It's shorter than my other chapters of stories but it should get longer as it progresses:P So this is the FULL chapter one, the earlier was just a teaser…and Jazmine seems to get bitchier as this chapter goes on..:/ I guess that's the idea. Love it? Hate it? Please drop a review to tell me, lovely readers! _I love you all_:D

And again, lease don't steal this story/idea folks:) That's illegal:)

Reminiscence Chapter 1

Jazmine DuBois' life, was perfect. She wasn't exaggerating, showing off or being egotistical (three things she was most commonly known for), she was just being honest. She couldn't find any flaw whatsoever in her wonderful world, not a single one. She lived in a gorgeous house, in a safe neighbourhood surrounded by charming people from all walks of life (well, almost). Her parents, Tom and Sarah DuBois, loved one another more than any other middle-aged couple she had ever come across; they far too often displayed their affection for one another in public, and though she loved having parents who enjoyed being in the other's company, she had to admit that sometimes, they did become rather embarrassing. Especially if they decided to have a tonsil-tennis session right in front of your boyfriend and his parents who had arrived for dinner…

There was the next perfect piece of Jazmine's life. Her boyfriend, Michael Caesar, or plain Caesar to his friends. He and Jazmine had known one another since, like, forever, as Jazmine put it, technically meaning since they were ten years old, when Caesar first moved to their neighbourhood, Woodcrest. Caesar, to be blunt, was as gorgeous as hell. He was tall and rippling with muscles (Jazmine knew from experience) and his skin was as dark and smooth as bitter chocolate. He proudly wore a set of ebony dreadlocks, ever so singed with rust, that tangled to his shoulders unless he tugged them back. His eyes glittered with a hidden wonder that intrigued Jazmine whenever their gaze met (which was obviously most of the time) and he was just so _strong_. Besides his _perfect_ appearance, Caesar held an equally flawless personality; he was kind and sweet and gentle and brace and oh, Jazmine could go on for hours as to how wonderful her boyfriend was. And just to add to their perfect relationship, he was a member of their High School Basketball team, a place that fitted just so with her leadership of the Cheerleading Squad.

This contemplation, of course, led Jazmine on to herself. She was just over average height and still rather skinny, yet her body had blossomed into curves in all the right places. Her skin held a caressing mulatto warmth that presented her with a year-round tan, and any spots were so rare that all the girls (and possibly some of the boys) envied her good luck. She was one of those girls who could roll out of bed in a morning even with a hangover, and still look drop-dead gorgeous. Her hair was soon flowing into a beautiful shade of cinnamon, like the falling of autumn leaves, and her eyes sparkled far more than any jadeite could. She knew how to walk the walk and talk the talk, and soon meek, naïve little Jazmine DuBois was forgotten, buried within the farthest crevices of her mind as the new, improves Jazmine DuBois stepped into her path and spilled over the boots she would have been sure to fill. She was confident, beautiful, intelligent and held the attention of anyone and everyone that stumbled into her red-carpet path.

Anyone, except the likes of Huey Freeman.

Now, here was a boy Jazmine _really_ couldn't understand. She could hardly remember their times together as children, and put down all their conversations to childish nonsense. He spoke far wisely than any adult ever could, even then, and there was something just so _intense_ about him that made her shiver with delight. But that was in the past. When Jazmine had pushed aside her immature self, she had been sure to push aside anything that would drag her back down, and in this case, meant Huey was no longer considered to be…desirable. And so they drifted apart, as teenagers do, with Jazmine pulling in one direction and Huey simply fading away in the other, his emotions on the subject foreign to the untrained eye. Of course, if Jazmine had _wanted_ to, all she would have had to do was speak to him like a human being and their friendship could have been rekindled. But she didn't, and so it wasn't.

Unfortunately, Jazmine hadn't fully calculated how difficult it was going to be to avoid the mind-boggling Huey Freeman. Firstly, he was her next-door neighbour and schoolmate, she they saw one another each morning and night, even if they didn't act upon this recognition. Secondly, Huey was her boyfriend's best friend in the whole, crazy world, and so again, erasing him from her life was becoming rather a difficult crime to commit. Finally, and yet possibly the most awkward of all, her best friend Cindy McPhearson was currently buried within the middle of a relationship with Riley Freeman…Huey's younger brother. So Jazmine's plan of action was going _wonderfully_, as one might imagine. Sometimes, when she was alone and very, very bored, perhaps when she was in bed, Jazmine pondered over her ancient relationship with the boy next door. She had always wondered if there had been feelings deeper than just friends between her and Huey, but if they were these were never acted upon, and he never attempted to win her back after the age of fourteen, when she shattered her way out of her shell.

This contemplation led Jazmine back to reality, where her life was beautifully perfect. Today especially was just _so_ flawless, because it was her eighteenth birthday, the birthday every girl _dreams_ of. She had been anticipating this day for the past year, ever since she turned seventeen, and the thought was one of constant excitement for the bubbly teenager. Every detail had been planned right down to the utmost perfection, to suit Jazmine herself, and she knew her parents had been busying themselves over buying her the best present ever. Everyone knew Jazmine loved surprises, like Caesar when he appeared at her door with a bouquet of her favourite flowers when she was sick, or Huey when…_no_. It was her _birthday_, hardly a time to think about Huey Freeman. But yes, she loved surprises, so it was possibly the best one of all when she stepped out of the house in her Hello Kitty pyjamas to grab the milk, to find a simply _gorgeous_ black mini wrapped with a gigantic pink ribbon on their driveway.

Needless to say, she had dropped the milk.

oooooooooooooooooooo

"._God_!"

The cinnamon haired mulatto began to parade around the car in her pink fun-fur slippers, straining to take in every single possible detail as she oohed and ahhed at the new vehicle that was finally hers. It was her _dream_ car. Her own, _perfect_ car. She had been desperate for one of these ever since she began to take driving lessons and had been sure to hint towards the idea to her parents at any given moment. And now it was all hers! She couldn't wait to drive it to school and show it off to her friends, her peers, her teachers, _anyone_. Perfect Jazmine DuBois and her perfect car. She was going to make girls even _more_ jealous than before, what could be better?

"So, do you like it, darling?"

Tom DuBois hovered on the threshold to the front door in his plaid pyjamas, an arm around his wife who was lounging in a silk dressing gown and sipping tea quite comfortably.

"_Like_ it? _I love it_! Thank you sosososososo," Jazmine hurtled towards her parents, a squealing ball of frizzy delight and almost knocked her mother's mug out of her hands with the force of the embrace, "_So_ much! This is _the_ most perfect day of my life, like, _ever_!"

When _Huey Freeman_ had "celebrated" his eighteenth birthday a few months before (Jazmine said "celebrated"- Huey had never really seemed to enjoy the prospect of birthdays), he hadn't been given a car from his grandfather, not even though he learnt to drive as soon as he was legal and passed his test the first time. There had been some sort of conflict over him not having to pay rent in his grandfather's house (something Caesar had mentioned and Jazmine had ignored) and so Huey had been forced to buy his own car. Now, Jazmine wasn't sure where Huey worked (or even that he had a job, though he probably did) and she wasn't sure what else he spent his money on, but the car her neighbour _did_ buy was a run-down, rusted truck that would probably take more to fix than it would to get a new one.

Personally, Jazmine thought the truck was disgusting and _totally_ ruined the rather polished look of the neighbourhood, but there wasn't much she could do about it. The Freemans were not perfect (like herself) and so clearly, neither was their taste in cars. On many an occasion, Jazmine would glance out of her bedroom window after having been home for hours to see Huey Freeman just returning, pushing his truck along the road with a facial expression that was even deeper set than his usual scowl. It happened so many times, in fact, that once she even spied _Riley_ helping his brother out, something that had seriously shocked her, because Riley rarely helped anyone.

As Jazmine continued to circulate her new car in sheer awe, she managed to miss the sounds of footsteps (notoriously green Converses) crunch through the even gravelled path towards her.

"Nice ride."

The teenage girl jumped a mile and spun on her slippered heel with the most frustrated face she could muster to bump into her charming, gorgeous, perfect, astonishingly amazing boyfriend. Michael Caesar shot her one of his famous lopsided grins and raised an eyebrow at the black mini alongside them, his arm slinking around Jazmine's skinny waist,

"Not too sure about the ribbon, though."

The mulatto squealed in excitement once more and craned on the tips of her toes to plant a full, too-passionate-for-a-morning kiss on her boyfriend's smiling lips before attempting to reach the present that he was failing to hide behind his back. Caesar tugged it further out of her reach, smiling knowingly with a mischievous glint in his dark eyes,

"Nah ah, patience, Jazmine," He held the bag of gifts above her head and amused himself for in a moment in watching her struggle to reach it, taking in what she was wearing, "Is Hello Kitty the new fashion?"

His tease caused Jazmine to flush furiously as she halted in her tracks, one hand slung on her hip as she tried to look as sassy as possible,

"You're only saying that because you're jealous."

"Yeah," Caesar snorted as he followed his lofty girlfriend inside her house, "I've always wanted a pair of pink pyjamas like yours."

Flushing in a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance, the teenage girl darted into her fairytale-style bedroom to change into something that was anything but Hello Kitty whilst her boyfriend chatted easily to her parents. Jazmine and Caesar had been dating for exactly three years, eleven months, three weeks and six days. When they had been fourteen, Caesar had asked her out the day after her birthday and she hadn't looked back since, leaving behind so many other things as the new, cool, relationship-fuelled Jazmine DuBois emerged. The almost four years had blown by so quickly, and it was no surprise that, because of this, her parents had grown to know Caesar rather well.

In fact, they really liked him, a notion that was unusual for most parents of outgoing teenage girls. Her mother, Sarah, loved is casual attitude (and probably his body) and her father, Tom, loved how Caesar was kind enough to be the only other person in the world to actually laugh at his jokes. But it was impossible _not_ to like Caesar; he had knowledge beyond his years but this seemed to make him a better person, in contrast to the monochrome Huey Freeman, and he was so kind and funny that he just _oozed_ with a wonderful aura of optimism. Even if you just brushed past him in a corridor, you couldn't help but to see the world at a slightly better angle. He was just amazing.

After what could have been an hour of deliberation if her mother had not banged haphazardly on her door and told her she only had ten minutes before she had to leave for school, Jazmine finally was able to settle on what she wished to wear for her perfect start to the eighteenth year of her life. It was a fairly warm day, for late February, and so she figured she could pull off her most loyal rose-hued dress (Hollister, of course) that was strapless with a bow to the waist and fell to her mid-thighs. She teamed this with a pair of matching flipflops, a striped cream and fuschia cardigan (both from Abercrombie and Fitch, obviously) and even went as far as to add an ornate flower headband (again, Hollister) to tease back her slightly tamed waterfall of cinnamon tresses.

Feeling satisfied with her "perfect" look, Jazmine practically skipped downstairs, Chanel bag for her schoolbooks and mostly makeup on her left arm, the right reaching for her boyfriend's waist. They said their goodbyes to her parents and were just about to reach her brand-new car (of which the ribbon had been removed) when Caesar had to mutter a rather forced sentence that had the potential to ruin her perfect day.

"You _what_?"

Jazmine practically shrieked, practically being Caesar had to cover her mouth so her parents and the rest of the neighbourhood didn't feel the need to rush to the scene. She scrambled with his gentle hand for a moment before her boyfriend made a quite exasperated expression and rolled his eyes at his female counterpart,

"Jazzy, look, he's my best friend. I'm _sorry_ you feel the need to hate him so much, but his truck broke down again and it won't start so I said you'd offer him a lift. It's a one in a million moment, girl, it's not going to be a big deal."

"It's a _huge_ deal," Jazmine cried, pouting her glossed lips and folding her arms taught across her chest, "It's going to ruin my day!"

"Don't be so melodramatic, baby," Caesar half-smiled, knowing his rare use of the name would melt his girlfriend to butter in seconds, "If it's any consolation, he wasn't so happy 'bout the idea either."

"Then _why_," The mulatto teenage growled as she plonked her handbag between the two front seats, "Did you make him come?"

"Because I felt sorry for him. Jesus, Is that so bad?"

Jazmine huffed haughtily, slamming the driver's door shut and frowning when she caught a glimpse of her next-door neighbour growing closer, feeling just about ready to start the ignition and leave both of the men behind.

"He's sitting in the back."

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The drive to Ed Wuncler High School that morning was even longer and more tiresome than usual, what with Caesar's constant chatterings in failed attempts to shatter the awkward silence, Huey's default scowl at an all new low and Jazmine's frequent glares to the back seat. She couldn't _believe_ her boyfriend and done this to her, on her birthday no less! And he _still_ hadn't given her his present! What was going on with the world? Why could he not see that she was _**so**_ much more important that the lowest low-life of them all, Huey-fucking-Freeman. I mean, why the _hell_ was he so god-damned interesting all of a sudden?

Once the infuriating journey was over and the Lady Gaga CD had been replayed three times (she knew it would infuriate Huey the most) Jazmine parked her mini in the spot she had _always_ declared would be hers, right alongside the fountains. Anyone who was anyone hung out at _the_ most influential spot on the entire school grounds, and so it was deemed only natural for these…er…immortal beings, to leave their cars there also. It was about as far away as possible from the bins that were filled daily from the school canteen, a spot where the lowest of the low (in Jazmine's all-knowing opinion) parked; which of course, included Huey Freeman.

Once the mulatto teenager had flounced out of her car (she barely noticed Huey leave) her gaggle of admirers shot towards her like moths to a flame. They couldn't seem to help themselves but compliment her hair, her clothes, her makeup, her bag, on and on. It was a rather repetitive cycle, and they often said similar things each waking hour, but somehow, Jazmine never grew tired of it. She basked in the spotlight, the attention she rightly won from all those she saw as below her. It was only normal for…average people to aspire to be someone as perfect as her, I mean, who wouldn't?

After feeling rather tired of being showered with affection and gifts (she had collected almost thirty in ten minutes) the mulatto woman shooed away her followers lazily, far too important to be seen in their company for too long a time. As she perched on the stone bench, Jazmine leant back against the support of her boyfriend's chest, closing her eyes to the rhythm of his heartbeat and enjoying the tranquillity of the simple noise of the fountains behind. Yes, this was the perfect eighteenth birthday. Presents, admirers, summer warmth, and a boyfriend who loved her no matter what. Was there anything better?

"Whattup niggas? Young Reezy is in da _house_!"

Of course, there was always going to be _someone_ to ruin the perfect moment.

Riley Freeman, aka "Young Reezy" as he preferred to be called (though Jazmine always thought he sounded stupid under that name) was, quite obviously, the younger brother of Huey Freeman, the young man that Jazmine currently loathed with a passion for no real reason. He was a few weeks shy of being sixteen years old and a few inches shy of being six feet tall. He was the long-term and rather protective boyfriend of Cindy McPhearson, Jazmine's best and closet friend, and so consequently, the mulatto woman had to put up with his antics rather frequently. He had a wonderful habit of interrupting things just when something important was about to happen, and his ego was three times the size of his height, which as mentioned, was rather great.

"Riley, do you always have to do that?"

Jamie groaned as her emerald eyes were blinded by the sunlight, forcing herself upright once more and comprehending that there was no rest for the beautiful.

"Do what, bitch? I ain't doin' nothin."

"Don't call her that, Riley."

Caesar frowned at the younger teenager who shrugged nonchalantly, putting on an expression to match his brother for a moment before he settled down on the grass, his white vested back slumped against one of the benches,

"Whatever, Nigga."

Eventually, the group was joined by Cindy who launched immediately into heavy detail with Jazmine about anything and everything she could, though the cinnamon haired woman was hardly listening. Instead of bothering to take in what her best friend was saying, Jazmine was actually contemplating what was in all of her presents, especially Caesar's, but also, where was she going to put them all? Her locker was pretty huge but not big enough for thirty gifts, and she didn't want to leave them anywhere in case someone took a fancy; not that they would, of course. Maybe she could bribe a teacher to leave them in a staff room or somewhere? It's not like she hadn't done it before.

"Jazzy-gurl, is yo ass listenin' to me?"

Cindy's harsh accent brought her crashing back to reality, and the mulatto blinked furiously as her best friend sent her a rueful expression, before passing over her own gift.

"'Case you ain't been listenin' gurl, dat's just a card. Da _real_ present is gonna be at yo party," The blonde teenager trailed off to only be nudged sharply by her boyfriend, before muttering, "Oh, an' Reezy helped."

"Helped?" Riley exclaimed loudly, causing more than a few of the surroundings students to turn their heads, "Nigga, I's da one who made it! Yo ass just helped."

"Aight, aight, whatever Reezy," As the couple dissolved into their own conversation, Jazmine turned to back to her own boyfriend and nudged a couple of his trailing dreadlocks behind one ear on his behalf. She soon found herself edging closer, so close they had practically merged into one, before she planted a few, chaste kisses on his soft lips.

"Am I forgiven?"

He breathed softly into her ear, his breath tickling her skin and causing a shudder to tingle electrifyingly down her spine.

"I suppose," Jazmie whispered back, kissing his ear and not bothered about showing any level of affection in public, "Though I still don't understand why you were so interested in Huey. I know he's your friend but it's my _birthday_ and I want it to be perfect."

"I know, Jazzy, I know," He was so easy to manipulate sometimes, "But, you know, he's had a rough time this last week or so…"

As he trailed off, Jazmine raised an eyebrow and turned so she was facing her boyfriend, their gaze levelled,

"A hard time? Isn't Huey Freeman _always_ having a "hard time"?"

"Jazmine, to say you think you're in the circle, you don't know much do you?"

Caesar's words grazed against her irritatingly, and though his tone was quite a gently one, Jazmine couldn't help but feel rather annoyed that he knew something that she didn't. It was _almost_ intimidating, like he was the one with authority. Almost.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It _means,"_ Caesar mumbled softly at her indignant response, either not wanting to tell the world or was put down by her (Jazmine decided it was the latter) "That he was shot last Monday."

I hope you liked it guys!:) It's been hard getting motivation for this section and all but..yeah. I did it:D Finished chapter one, finallyyyy:P

Ah, you know I love me some cliffhangers;)


	3. Perfect Preparations

Hiya guys:D I'm still here:D Omg, did you think I died? I certainly did-_- I'm so sorry I've been gone, I had 9 exams (2 more in 2 weeks) and it's been my birthday so I've been veryyy busy:D But yeah! I made myself finish this so I hope you like it!:) And, by the way, I'll start replying to reviews here…just so you don't think I'm rude or anything^^;…so enjoy!:D And please review, or I won't know if you want another chapter!

**Peach276**: aww thank you:D I hope so…and I have:D yay:D

**MissG2020:** I'm sorry…I just love those cliffhangers:3 Ha, I guess you'll find out in this chapter! Yeahhh, Jazmire suuure gets attention…

**Jazavelli**: It's cool girl! I think it's the way I uploaded chapters-_- Silly me:/ We will have a proper Huey POV soon, I promise :) It may be in a little while though…And yeah, Jazmine=Bitch for sure:/ She needs to get sorted ASAP! Let's hope she does…:) Thank you so much though, girl!:D

**SunshineGirl09**: And I give you mooreee:P

**BananaMilkshake97**: Aww thank you hunnie!:D I hope I did ok too^^; ._. I love your name

Sooo, let's go:D YAAAY:D (and please, can someone tell me how to do those line break things? I'm dying without them-_-)

Reminiscence-Chapter 2

Sometimes, Caesar wondered why on earth he was dating Jazmine DuBois. In most respects she was a kind, sweet-natured and generally pleasant girl to be around, traits that she had probably chosen to keep from her childhood. She was rather intelligent also, and Caesar could easily admit that though he had at first found her naivety as a child attractive (though he probably wouldn't openly mention it to anyone other than himself) her new, confident personality did have its particular charms. He loved her dynamic attitude and vibrant approach to life, ever the optimist in a wonderfully flamboyant manner. But, as there are with any relationship, there were some negatives.

Firstly, being point blank, Jazmine could be a bitch. Caesar absolutely _hated_ the word, and he wasn't the type to even use it in an argument, let alone as loosely as, say, his best friend's little brother, but he couldn't find another word to describe his girlfriend's personality. Seriously, he had actually _researched_ to find a less degrading term for her, all of which led him to the same noun. He just hated the way she could just _be_ with people, talking down to them like they were lower than her, abusing her "power" and selectively planning her lifestyle and choices so she could be better than the best.

When Caesar had been fourteen years old, he had gone on holiday back to Brooklyn during the summer holiday, waving goodbye to a most sincere Huey Freeman and a giggling Jazmine DuBois who was latched onto the revolutionary's arm like a monkey, her sweet self still clad in childish clothing that hugged her innocent body. She had still been naïve, gullible and as gentle as a lamb, and Caesar hadn't expected any of that to change. So it was quite a blow to the head when he returned to find a decidedly awkward Huey standing several feet away from a simply mind-blowing teenage girl, whose miniscule clothing teased her filled-out frame.

The girl, though nowhere near as tall as the then still-growing, five feet eleven Huey Freeman, was definitely over average for most women, and her fairly skinny body still managed to maintain curves in all the right places. Her lightly spiced hair flowed like a waterfall down to her mid-back, curled cautiously here and there to make the perfection appear as natural as possible. Her face was heavily made up, emerald eyes confronted with layers of charcoaled mascara and pouting lips a royal shade of crimson. It had still been at the height of summer, though Caesar was sure she would have dressed in a similar fashion if there had been snow thick on the ground. The girl wore a skimpy pleated miniskirt with matching sandals and a simply _tiny_ bikini that barely covered her…well, her _everything_.

"_Caesar_! Ohmigod it's been, like, for_ever_! How was Brooklyn? I bet it was, like, _so_ cool. I've missed you, like, _so_ much, it's totally unreal!"

The girl flung her arms around the exceedingly bemused Caesar, her ginormous sunglasses propped upon her crown as she squealed into his ear,

"We, like, _so_ need to have a catch up!"

Still unable to comprehend who the girl squeezing him was, the dreadlocked teenager patted her awkwardly on the back and raised an eyebrow at his best friend, who was glaring furiously at the ground. Caesar was about to speak to him when the suffocating girl exclaimed frustratingly once more,

"You do recognise me, don't you Caez? I mean, like, it sounds _so_ silly, but like, loads of people say I've changed so much!"

"Well," He managed to detangle himself from her tanned arms and take a step back, running a hand through his dreads almost nervously, "You look familiar but, sorry, girl, I don't have a clue-"

And then he studied her face closely, her foreign eyes that buried beneath the makeup held a deeper person to the outside appearance. Her hair colour, the frizzy wisps that managed to unfurl themselves slightly from her straightened mane, and finally, the certain tone of her perfectly smooth skin. It couldn't be…

"No. Freakin'. Way."

Caesar stared dumbfounded at the "strange" girl, then to his best friend, and then back to the girl, unable to fully take in the overloading amount of information that was being compressed into his mind. Huey was still frowning, his default scowl even more furrowed than usual and the atmosphere was so tense that Caesar simply had to let rip a slight joke,

"What's up with you, Big Huey? You look like Bush got re-elected for President."

He shot his best friend a crooked grin, anticipating a less angry response to instead only watch the revolutionary turn on the spot and walk away, his hands balled into fists within the depths of his pockets,

"Jazmine changed, man."

oooOOOOOooooo

That she had. Huey had seemed to take that as a bad thing, yet Caesar thought it was pretty spectacular. Sure, he had loved the old Jazmine, as a friend, but after her dramatic transformation she was just so much more…_wow_. She had lost her rather annoying attitude and learnt how to act like a mature human being instead of one who dreamed over unicorns and pink ponies. He adored her new attitude and approach to life, and he had fallen for the new Jazmine, not the old one, yet sometimes he found himself seriously considering his relationship with her. Times, like now, for instance.

"Huey was _shot_?"

"That's what I said."

Jazmine was staring at him with her pretty little mouth wide open, her eyes enlarged several times their usual size by the apparent shock of the news.

"Why did _nobody_ tell me? I've been walking around school like some sort of, like, _idiot_ all week, and you just like, _let me_? That's like, _so_ selfish, Caesar."

And there, was a classic example of why the new and "improved" Jazmine DuBois could be the last person in the world Caesar wanted to be saddled with. She wasn't bothered about Huey's wellbeing, the person who had been her best friend for at least four years, she wasn't bothered about his feelings or how the incident had been affecting everyone surrounding them. No, she only cared about herself, and how the ordeal may reflect badly upon her. It was at times like this, when Caesar seriously considered breaking off his relationship with his girlfriend, because quite frankly, he wasn't sure her fake personality was worth the effort he put in to make her a better person.

"Sometimes I wonder why the _fuck_ I, like, put up with you!"

Turning the tables once more, as she did, Jazmine seized her power along with her presents and stormed away, hips swaying into the distance with several billion dirty glances headed in Caesar's direction for his "selfish" behaviour. Groaning, the teenage boy dropped his head into his hands and struggled not to scream out in frustration. He was sick of getting stuck with the bad end of his girlfriend's status, and was about to kick something heavy or throw the present he still owed Jazmine into the fountains, when an all too familiar voice appeared at his side.

"I don't think I'll ever know why you put up with her," Huey Freeman crashed down quite comfortably beside his best friend, comfortably for someone who's left arm was in a sling, at least, "She's trouble, Caez. She's been trouble ever since she _changed_ and nothing's gonna sort her out."

Caesar clearly noted how his best friend had to practically spit out the word, his tone emphasising his pretty obvious thoughts on the events surrounding the notorious Jazmine DuBois.

"I know, man. But I love her."

He sounded so weak when he stated the fact in that way, and his shoulders slumped even further as Huey snorted, adjusting his messenger bag slightly,

"Well, yeah. Doesn't everyone?"

"Whatever, man," Caesar frowned and toyed with the gift he still had to give to his girlfriend, hoping to change the topic away from himself, "Shouldn't you still be in hospital?"

"And let them fill me with Government-administrated poisons?" Huey made a noise of contempt before continuing, "Fuck no. And stop trying to change the topic."

Sighing, Caesar hauled himself to his feet with the present still in one clutched palm, running a skinny hand through his dishevelled dreads before heading towards the main entrance of their school,

"Let's just get to class."

oooooOOOOOOooooooo

Once upon a fairytale, Jazmine had cared very much about Huey Freeman. She had spent endless hours dreaming over him and her, their never-to-be relationship, their perfect wedding, she had even gone as far to think of names for the children they would have together. If anything had ever happened to Huey, she would have been at his side in a flash no matter what the consequences were, because even if he didn't love her like she loved him, he was still her best friend and they still needed each other, even if he would never admit it. But she had been thirteen, stupid and childish, and Jazmine had to learn the hard way that her wonderful ideas were ridiculous, immature fantasies and that nothing ever worked out how you wanted it to.

She had borrowed each and every locker of her closest admirers to fill with her presents, not willing to put them in her own in case they creased the clothes she stored in there. She quickly felt quite guilty for accusing her boyfriend earlier, but he would get over it, and anyway, she could easily make it up to him at her party that night. But seriously, _someone_ should have told her about Freeman's accident; he had probably been protesting for some stupid black man in jail again, or whatever he did nowadays. No one leaves Jazmine DuBois in the dark; _no one_. And she was about to make that clear once and for all.

"Like, oh-mai-gee!" A pair of arms wrapped themselves suddenly around her neck, and Jazmine struggled to not appear exasperated as Melanie, head lap-dog and most loyal…friend, appeared at her side, "Happy birthday Jazzy! I've, like, got your present here and, like, everything!"

Melanie had been the first to latch onto Jazmine once her transformation had gone underway as a teenager. Melanie had never been particularly pretty, intelligent or popular; in fact, she was really quite a nerd, complete with braces and chunky glasses. Of course, Jazmine had sorted that all out now, and the best of her followers now was almost as pretty as her, dare she say it. Almost, as no one was allowed to be as beautiful or gorgeous as her, that was against the rules. And so was not telling Jazmine _everything_ about _anything_.

"Hey, Mel," The mulatto faked an air of enthusiasm, "Did you hear about Huey Freeman?"

"Oh-mai-gee, totally!" The Black-haired teenager fell into the trap instantly, completely unaware to what she had just said, "I mean, like, can you _imagine_? Being _shot_? He's, like, _so_ cool."

"Yeah, well, help yourself," Jazmine couldn't help but mutter, before changing her tone abruptly and glaring at the "friend", "So you knew and you didn't _tell me_?"

"Oh," Melanie blinked suddenly, almost cowering when she realised her apparently incredulous mistake, "Like, sorry, Jazzy. I thought you, like, _knew_. I, like, would _totally_ have told you if-"

"_Whatever_," Sick of her ridiculous speech already, Jazmine rolled her eyes and turned away, "It's a first time for you, so I'll let you off. But you're lucky you're invited to my party. You don't want to end up how you were _before_, do you, Melanie? Because you _know_ I can turn your life upside down before you can even say oops."

The younger girl shook her head fiercely before darting away, causing Jazmine to smile contentedly, happy with her work. Yeah, having this much power really was perfect. Sighing sweetly as she ran over once more her plans for the party that was to be held in her honour that night, the mulatto teenager closer her locker door after selecting a few diamanté-encrusted text books before turning on her heel and bumping right into her boyfriend.

"Oh, er, sorry, Jazmine," Caesar looked sincerely apologetic as he swept her books up from the ground and handed them back to his girlfriend, brushing off any dirt as he did so, "I guess I just wasn't looking where I was going."

Jazmine frowned a little, choosing to wait for his apology instead of making the first move, though she desperately wanted to. Caesar wavered on each foot for a moment, unsure how to continue through the awkward silence before thrusting the present in his girlfriend's general direction,

"Look, ok, I'm sorry. Just take this and I'll see you later, I guess."

He was about to vanish to his next class with the lurking Huey in tow, before Jazmine sighed, letting her shields collapse and her naturally sweet nature take over for a moment as she grabbed onto her boyfriend's arm gently, turning him around,

"Wait, Caesar."

He stared at her curiously, his dark eyes boring into her emerald before she broke the gaze and leant in for a kiss, unable to force the apology through words. She could feel herself soften up as soon as their lips met, and part of her wondered why on earth she had been so harsh on him in the first place, before she got the sense of being watched and pulled away from her boyfriend to see Huey Freeman looking at her, wine-hued eyes frowning as ever in her direction. Almost immediately, she hoisted her shields back up around herself and the sweet Jazmine was long forgotten, the new persona taking over,

"Like, what do you think you're doing, Freeman?"

Her sharp tone was accusing, and Huey's scowl deepened before he turned on his heel and stormed away silently, fuming. There were so many things he could have said to her to drag her from that high horse and toss her in the mud, but he couldn't be bothered. She was a lost cause, and if Caesar wanted to waste his time on someone like her, then let him. He didn't care. Shifting his shoulder bag up a little, he headed to his first Politics class of the morning and winced furiously when he automatically nudged his left arm through the sling to try and open the door. _Shit_, it hurt like hell.

_Monday 20__th__ February, 2018_

_It was meant to be a peaceful protest._

_That, at least, had been the message that Huey had sent out. To say it was only late February, the heat was blazing hot and consequently, in his opinion making probably normally sane people crazy. He had managed to gather a few followers and at first, they had marched through the streets towards the state prison, a megaphone clasped in his right hand as he gesticulated with the other. It seemed like the cause wasn't just making a small number angry, however, as by the time they reached the prison, the numbers had shot up from about ten, to over one hundred. It was wild; but he was loving it._

_Damien Lawson was twenty one years old, obviously black and, even more obviously, innocent. He had supposedly been the main suspect in a hit and run incident involving a small white child, even though the witnesses at the time had seen a prominently white man run from the car that had hit the child. Hey, it had been a white community; they had a snitching club. At the time of the incident, Damien had been at home with his girlfriend at a family party, and every single one of the seventy nine people there said they saw him at the house at the named time, yet he was still found to be the culprit._

_Huey's plan had been rather simple; gather followers, get to the prison, shout angry truths to the ignorant white people, hopefully get Damien at least a fair trial, and leave, no questions asked. It probably would have worked out that way too, if it hadn't been for certain…__**niggas**__, that had joined __**his**__ protest. It was meant to be a serious, sincere ordeal! Not somewhere for the ignorant to throw around insults and ridiculous comments that riled the white men up. Firebombs were __**not**__ meant to be thrown, empty glass bottles were __**not**__ meant to be used as weapons, and guns weren't meant to enter into the equation entirely._

_But, hey. It came with the territory. _

_The feeling of getting shot really was something he hadn't been able to imagine before, not really, especially not by a white man. He had always predicted it would probably happen, and had predicted what the risks and life-time issues would be for him to deal with, but the actual feeling? The sensation of the cool, streamlined metal ripping apart his skin, shredding his tissues and burrowing its icy vessel within his burning flesh. No, he had not predicted that. He had even been wearing a bullet-proof vest, yet the weapon had still managed to just skim the outline, colliding quite happily with the muscle just below his left shoulder blade. It had hurt like hell and the feeling had made him dizzy, disorientated and really quite vulnerable, and he was reluctant to admit that he had been forced to call Riley. The protest had turned into one huge warzone and his little brother had to drag him from a side alley, knowing enough first-aid to keep him going until they reached the hospital, much to his annoyance. _

_He was grateful to Riley, really. Sure, he was annoying and ignorant and plain stupid, but at least he had his back…normally. He had refused to let his brother tell their grandfather until he came home from the hospital (which was the day later, he discharged himself) because even though Robert Freeman could be extremely selfish, he was old and Huey didn't want him getting panicked. And so, he had "stayed at Caesar's" that night, and was silently grateful for his best friend's cooperation. _

_Present Day_

It was lunchtime at Ed Wuncler High School, and Jazmine had commandeered the entirety of the benches that surrounded the fountains for herself and her flock of admirers, who were still showering her with gifts late into the day, not that she was complaining. They all hovered around her like bees to nectar until she dismissed them casually, making enough room for her closer friends to sit down beside her.

"Fucking hell, Jazzy," Cindy exclaimed as she swept a pile of pink ribbons and bears from the table top, "Yo ass is needin' some serious crowd control."

"I quite like it," Jazmine smiled simply as she began to pick at her boyfriend's food, saving herself for the party that night, "The presents are all, like, _so_ nice."

"But mine's the best, obviously," Caesar shot her a cheeky grin as he tried to pull his lunch tray away, "Come on, they're my fries!"

"Did your mother never teach you that sharing is polite?"

"This isn't sharing, it's stealing!"

"Be nice to the birthday girl!"

Huey appeared opposite his best friend and, unfortunately, on the other side of Cindy with a raised eyebrow and began to wonder what on earth made him choose these kind of friends.

"Yo, Afro, why yo ass not eatin' real food, nigga?"

Cindy swept her fishtail braid over one shoulder and frowned at the tofu on the revolutionary's plate, almost catching him in the eye with the final wisps of her straw-coloured locks, much to his annoyance.

"It _is_ real food," Huey frowned as he tried to move as far away from her as possible, which was quite difficult as he was at the very end of the bench already, "It's completely organic matter that has yet to be contaminated by the brainwashing additives that are produced with all that deep- fried crap and –"

"Aight, aight, fuck! I ain't askin' for no lecture! If yo ass like all dat rabbit shit, I ain't gon' stop ya."

Turning away, Cindy instead chose to grin at her best friend who had finally stopped kissing her boyfriend for long enough to breathe, and soon burst out,

"So, Jazzy-gurl! What's goin' down with yo party tonight? We's know it gonna be da shit! Ain't dat right, Reezy?"

"Fuck, yeah!"

"Oh," Jazmine grinned as she laced her fingers with Caesar's, unaware to Huey's deepening glare, "It's going to be all that and _more_."

Yaaaay, chapter 2 finally DONE:D I really hope you liked it…and if you did? REVIEW!:D heh^^; Please…:) I can only do another chapter If I get told I'm doing things right :) So please tell me something, evenr you silent readers! I know you're there! There was a sort of Huey POV in this…iiiisshhh….there'll be a proper one later…I love me some Hueyyyyy3 So THANK YOU, GUYS:D Aww, man, I _love_ you all:D I hope you enjoyed it and please, _please_, _**please**_ review, for me? Love you!:) Thank you so much3


	4. Twenty Shades of Pink

Hiiiiiya guys! It's been _so_ long, I know, I'm _really_ sorry:/ I had a mental block on how to start this chapter, This POV wasn't going to come in this chapter but I figured it was the best chance I had:) We find out a little more about that summer of 2014, and I really hope you enjoy reading this as much as I liked writing it!:D

And here come thankies to my absolutely wonderful and gorgeous reviewers! I love you all!3

**SunshineGirl09: **Me too girl, me too:/ Thank you dearie:)

**Jazavelli: **She annoys me too-_- Ugh, I know-_- Yeah poor Huey:/ I think he's so confused^^; I'm sure you'll find out why they fell out eventually…;) Aww thank you:) I think your luck really helped!:D

**BananaMilkshake97: **Lol I'm more into chocolate but, hey, still milkshake:D I love mah Huey too3 Ugh yeah, I know, bajillion slaps for Jazmine all round-_- Thank you so much hun:D

**WolfPrincess16: **I think we all miss her:/ Huey? Jealous? Never;)

**Paige1292: **It irritates me having to type it, trust me._. She's definitely not worth it:/ You'll find out eventually;) Ha I'mma update right now:D

**MissG2020: **I absolutely know what you mean._. There are lotsa girls like that at my school, ugh-_-Thank you!:D

**ILoveYou1234567890123: **It's cool girl! You still bothered to review at all and that's all that matters!:) Lol, you speaking the truths about Jazmine right there dear;)

**Crybaby:** I triple promise to finish this story:) I hate it when peeps are left hanging too-_- It just may take me a while:) But I will!

**Boondocks23: **Man, seriously, thank you so much!:) It means a LOT. We can't give up on Jazzy just yet, no matter how twisted she is:/ You did spell it right;) I'll try my hardest to write well and thank you again SO much3 Wayy too kind dear:)

**Miss Natasha: **Aww girl, really? Thank you so much3 Here's your chapter!:D

**ChiChi-O: **Oh god, I know right? 3 Huey. Thank you so much:) I'm glad you think I'm doing it right, Jazzy's such a pain to write:P

Damnnn that took up a whole page on Word!:/:P Ha, thank you guys SO much, I love you all. And Season 4 is coming out this year, right? WOOP:D (lol I've know for a while but keep forgetting to put it here._.) Hoping for more Huey xJazzy goodness;) Ha, thanks and enjoy:D Don't forget to review! I love and appreciate you all!3

Reminiscence Chapter 3

Huey hated parties.

He didn't even understand why he was going to this one in the first place. He had decided a long time ago that the past was in the past, and he was going to have to take a different path. He hadn't been to a party since…well…since he was fourteen. And after that one? He had vowed never again; it had just been a complete disaster. The only reason possibly causing him to venture unwillingly to the party that night, was the fact that his best friend, the love-struck Caesar, was forcing him to. That, and his little brother was going and he didn't want to look like a complete loser.

That evening, he had actually planned the stay inside, preferably in his bedroom on his computer. He had a list of songs he had been meaning to download from iTunes for a few months now, and he desperately needed to finish his next edition of The Free Huey, which surprisingly enough for him, as still going strong. Maybe the world wasn't quite as ignorant as it had been before; maybe he had changed something. Unfortunately, far too much had changed in the past few years for Huey's liking. First, there was the matter of Caesar who had allowed himself to be completely overpowered by his next-door neighbour's spell and didn't even have enough time to spend on the Revolution anymore, let alone his best friend. And then there was Jazmine…

Huey spent far too much time dwelling in matters of the past, matters he knew he couldn't change and matters that he wish he had altered when the chance had come. Perhaps, if only he had stayed longer at that one party when he was, really, just a kid, he could have changed the inevitable. Maybe he could have stopped the life-changing events, if he had only ignored her drunken clamours and got off his high horse to finally apologise, or whisk her away from that place and never look back. He was the one who usually had common sense, he was the one who usually knew what was coming. He should have been the one to take her home and save her from the troubles that had been brewing.

But no. He had turned his back to her and abandoned her on the stairs, straight to his house without the slightest remorse. And now he was paying for it.

Karma was a bitch.

That had been the last time Huey had seen the normal Jazmine. His Jazmine. When he next saw her, just a few days after the party, she was dramatically different. She had taken up straightening her honeyed curls (a feat that ruined her African heritage and officially labelled her as a white girl) much to his disgust, layering on the makeup by the trowel-full, and started wearing clothes that were so tight on her skinny frame, they wouldn't have even fit a toddler. She suddenly stopped stalking him and whinging for is attention, prancing after the jock and leading the other Barbie bimbos around the school hallways. The only time she ever talked to Huey was in private, and even on those rare occasions (Jazmine having such a busy schedule and all) nothing of much meaning was processed.

_November 23__rd__ 2014_

_Huey was feeling terrible. It was almost his fifteenth birthday, and though he was never one to celebrate the trivial idea of growing older, the fact that his "friend" didn't care either really, quite hurt. Jazmine DuBois had been the only one to seriously care about his day of birth throughout the entire course of being friends; she had been the one to throw him surprise parties whether he liked them or not, she had been the one to tell him to enjoy his day and she had been the one to always grant him with a hug and a smile. The fact that now, after such a sudden change, she no longer cared about his life at all, for some strange reason that Huey could not understand, being a "heartless" revolutionary and all, really pained him. _

_He did know part of the reason, of course. He had been suffering under a simply momentous, un-explicable and inevitable crush, on his best friend. It wasn't to do with her strange change in appearance, god no, he was hoping he could alter that. It was more that he only just realised that he had liked her for quite some time, without really having ever considered the fact or brushed it off previously. He was sure Jazmine had a crush on him; she certainly did at one point and he was hopeful that it was still current. _

_Jazmine had been sitting next to him at that very moment, burbling on about some stupidity that he really didn't care about. Her cinnamon hair washed loosely to her waist in gentle waves, a style that must have taken her endless hours to create, and her pretty face was coated with a mask of foundation and mascara. She was huddled in a sheer pleated miniskirt and boob tube, the only warm thing on her body being a pair of Uggs and she seemed quite comfortable, though the goosebumps on her skin clearly gave her away. Huey had just about summoned the courage to tell her, the only girl he had ever liked and possibly could ever like, that he thought he loved her, when Jazmine spoke loudly,_

"_**Huey, you're, like, a guy."**_

"_**Well noticed."**__ He rolled his eyes, slightly exasperated over not being able to spit out his words._

"_**Whatever," **__Jazmine brushed away his sarcastic comment with ease, "__**Look, I was, like, just wondering. Like, what should I do if I, like, **_**like**_** this guy?"**_

"_**You should just tell him,"**__ Huey's hopes soared as she began to confess all, anticipating the moment they would realise they were just meant to like one another, "__**Guys prefer it when you're more straight forward."**_

_There was a slight pause, in which Huey swore the banging of his heartbeat could be heard by the entire neighbourhood, until Jazmine broke the tension softly,_

"_**So, Huey?"**_

"_**Yeah?" **__He replied in a strained voice, struggling to not sound too eager as his hopes were about to be confirmed._

"_**Do you think Caesar likes me too?"**_

_Hope, is irrational._

_Present Day._

Huey didn't know why he bothered. He was hovering outside of the DuBois' residence at that very moment, the ground quaking beneath his feet with the vibrations of the music that rocked the house to it' very core, and probably the entire neighbourhood. At their daughter's request, and for some deluded reason, trusting her completely, Sarah and Tom DuBois had allowed Jazmine to have the house to herself for the night of her eighteenth birthday and ventured off to some faraway state for the weekend. Huey couldn't understand what they saw in her, but what he could see told him that there were probably over five hundred buzzed teenagers at that party, and it was definitely a bad idea.

He wasn't even sure if he was even invited to the party. Sure, it didn't seem that Jazmine would bother to hand out five hundred invites, and it was true that the majority of people he could see obviously didn't go to his school, but even so. Ever since the summer of 2014, the mulatto girl had begun to slowly block him from her "perfect" life, and for some reason that he didn't think he would ever understand, the only time Jazmine now looked at him was with a glance brimming with disgust. She hated him, and he had no idea why. And every minute of every day, he tried to hate her too. It was so easy to hate people who ruined his country, ruined the lives of his ancestors. So why was it so difficult to hate the girl he loved?

Huey had actually been invited to help set up for the party that evening, much to Jazmine' disgust. Caesar had insisted that he came along and practically forced him into the house after the excruciating car ride home. It was so obvious that Jazmine didn't want him there; she probably wouldn't have been happy if he had been on the other side of the world. She had completely ignored him during the ride back to their neighbourhood, flicking her hair and dropping snide comments as often as physically possible between Caesar's mostly one-sided conversation. He had been practically invisible in the back of the car that evening, but to be honest, it wasn't bothering him so much. He was getting used to not being needed.

When Jazmine had finally parked her car in the driveway, Huey had been all set to leap for safety and vanish back into his bedroom, and he would have done if Caesar hadn't snatched at his good arm.

"Hey," He had frowned a little at the Chicagoan, "Where're you going, man?"

"Home." Huey stated simply, ignoring Jazmine's rather obvious comment of "Thank god."

"No way man, you gonna leave a brotha like that? You ain't leaving me with Cindy and Riley, Huey."

Huey and Jazmine scowled simultaneously, their frowns competing subconsciously until Caesar nudged Huey aside to clamber from the car before opening Jazmine's door. The birthday girl hopped out in true princess fashion, flouncing past her boyfriend and turning her nose up to Huey, making a slight noise of contempt as she pranced into her house, handbag swinging over one arm. Caesar sighed, blew his stray dreadlocks from his pretty face irritably, counted to twenty and then began to unload the array of presents from the back seat. They varied in about twenty shades of pink, a sickening colour that Huey had been forced to sit next to on their way home.

Once Caesar had collected the entirety of the gifts and was completely submerged in filly bows and wrapping paper, the two teenage boys had ambled into the DuBois household, Huey dragging his feet. Riley and Cindy, who had skipped the last periods after lunch to …do whatever they did, were already inside and helping themselves to drinks from the fridge, Cindy having a key due to being practically Jazmine's sister. In fact, Cindy was probably more likely to be in the house that either of Jazmine's parents were, not that she seemed bothered by this.

Knowing that he wasn't going to be much use due to his handicap, Huey swiped one of the ice cold beers from his little brother before Riley could smuggle them to his bedroom (Granddad had issues with them drinking in the house underage; probably because he didn't want to have to suffer through anymore of their problems) and collapsed onto the sofa in the living room. He struggled to pretend to be interested in the banners that Caesar was hoisting up around the house, leaning back against the cushions with his default scowl present on his face and waiting for Jazmine to kick him out.

The kitchen was soon filling up with crates of alcohol that seemed fit to take over the house, being loaded in by Cindy who had been muttering curses directed at "freeloadin' niggas" who he took to being Ed and Rummy. Sighing out of pure boredom, Huey hauled himself to his feet, dropping the empty can in the kitchen bin before heading upstairs towards the bathroom.

"Huey, you seen Jazzy anywhere?"

Huey shook his head in his friend's general direction, glaring at his feet as he hovered at the top of the stairs, "She's probably drowning in all those presents."

Caesar shrugged and wandered away, leaving Huey to his thoughts as he padded into the bathroom. Why should he care where Jazmine was? It was such a waste of time, him being there. He wasn't wanted and he felt so _useless_ with his stupid arm. He was just going to use the bathroom and leave, he did have a pile of books he had been meaning to read for quite some time now, and he had promised his grandfather he would cook dinner that night. It wasn't like he was needed; he couldn't do anything and everyone kept treating him like some kind of invalid, tip-toeing around the topic of his injury and talking about him in hushed voices. He was sick of the glances he was collecting at school; he was meant to be invisible, not the topic of everyone's conversations.

Sighing in annoyance, Huey was just about to fumble with his jeans with only one hand, before noticing the steam that choked up the room. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts, he hadn't realised that there had been someone else in the bathroom as he entered, who had carelessly left the door unlocked. There was a figure to his left behind the frosted shower screen that, though luckily difficult to make out, was most definitely female. Of course, he just would have walked in on Jazmine when she was in the shower; now she had yet another reason to hate him, on top of everything else he didn't know he had done.

"Who's there?"

The normal Huey would have turned around and left the bathroom quite coolly, without thinking another second about it. But this Huey wasn't in his usual state of mind, and he was struggling to contemplate what was going on, his feet frozen to the spot. He was in a bathroom with a naked Jazmine and his jean halfway down his legs; no matter how you looked at it, the situation couldn't look good. The teenage girl poked her head around the frosted screen and managed to look simply furious through her hair that, in its naturally frizzy state, was matted to her head.

The teenagers stared at one another for a moment, neither sure of what the other was to say, before Jazmine recovered her ego and screeched at the top of her lungs,

"Huey _fucking_ Freeman! Get the _fuck_ out of my bathroom before I-"

But Huey was never there to find out exactly what he would do to him if he stayed in the bathroom, because he had sprinted from the room before he managed to hear anything other than he name being shrieked by a fuming and rather naked teenage girl. He somehow managed to escape through the house unnoticed, mostly because Caesar was engrossed in setting up the DJ table, his little brother thought he was hardcore enough to be drunk already, and Cindy was…well, Huey couldn't care less where that irritating white girl was. But moving on.

He soon found himself crashed on the porch in the back garden, leaning against the railings of the top step with his lanky legs dangling towards the earth. When he was sixteen years old, Huey suddenly found that, completely without his noticing, he had grown from a meagre five foot six, to six foot three in about the space of a month. That, combined with his incredibly healthy eating that most would ridicule over, caused him to become really quite skinny, for a teenage boy, and did sometimes wonder if he needed to eat more, but figured that focusing on the Revolution was far more important, and his food intake could take second place.

His left arm was stinging unhelpfully and he frowned a little, having only really drunk the previous alcohol in the hopes that it would dull the pain slightly. Huey shifted the position of his head so he could rest on more of his hair for comfort, having one of those moments when he was quite glad that he had kept his untameable mane. The young revolutionary stared into the vast garden the DuBois' owned and strained to stopper any thoughts of the naked Jazmine from his mind; hey, he was eighteen, his self-control was always a little less active when it came to girls. It wasn't as though he was pining after her or anything; he had dated other girls before, but it just didn't feel right. But Huey knew his ridiculous crush was exactly that, _ridiculous_. He was in love with the _old_ Jazmine, not this new and "improved" version. _She_ made him want to be sick. _What_ did Caesar see in her?

"What's a nigga doin' out here? Why ain't yo ass in da crib, helpin' out an' shit? Lazy hater."

Great. That was all he needed. A noisy, obnoxious wannabe-ghetto-girl to keep him company when he was quite happy to be alone with his thoughts.

"Fuck off, Cindy."

"Aye, why yo such a hater, Huey? It's a free country an' all dat shit! I's gon' sit where I's want!"

The slender girl crumpled onto the steps beside him, completely ignoring his request and sprawling herself out quite happily, endlessly long fishtail plait crammed beneath an oversized cap that he supposed was Riley's, blonde wisps poking out here and there. She was still dressed in her basketball clothes; a loose vest top with miniscule short in a matching shade of turquoise, her feet bare from the no shoes rule with her painted azure toes wiggling in the sunlight. The duo sat in silence, Cindy leaning ever closer to the coffee-skinned teenager and Huey struggling to compress himself closer to the railings, before he managed to splutter out,

"What the fuck do you want, Cindy?"

"Real nice," She rolled her eyes, "You're so charming."

He noticed she had dropped the ghetto act from her voice and felt really quite relieved; at least he could pretend he understood her now.

"Whatever. Leave me alone."

He was about to get up and leave when a gentle hand grasped the sleeve of his shirt and pulled him back down to the porch steps, causing him to frown again before she said honestly,

"I know what's bugging you, Huey."

"You don't know the half of it." He snorted in contempt, shaking Cindy's cool fingers away but sitting back down none the less.

The inside-out oreo eyed him for a moment, tossing her messily braided hair over one shoulder before choosing her words carefully for the easily-angered teenage boy,

"I know you love Jazmine."

There was a period of absolute silence where neither dared glance at the other. Huey's scowl deepened as he started straight out ahead of him, his wine-hued eyes fixed on the trees that danced in the wind in the distance. Cindy chewed the insides of her cheek and fidgeted awkwardly, the cool breeze rushing over her skin and causing her to wonder if she should have kept her mouth shut, before Huey finally mumbled,

"I don't love her."

He stated the fact quite half-heartedly, as though he couldn't quite believe it himself, and the words were so faint that he sounded, really, quite unlike himself.

"You don't sound too convinced," Cindy rolled her ice blue eyes exasperatedly, "I mean, come on Huey. Don't lie to me or to yourself; I've seen the way you look at her."

"I don't look at her in any way at all!" Huey scowled furiously, folding his arms over his knees that were taught to his chest almost childishly, "I do _not_ love her, alright? You've got it wrong."

"No, I think _you're_ wrong," Cindy said loftily, with an air of superiority, "I can tell you love her, Huey, don't bullshit me. It's so obvious. You can't keep your eyes off her."

"I'm telling you the truth, Cindy," Huey buried his chin in his knees and mumbled through the material of his jeans, "I don't love this Jazmine."

The teenagers were quiet again, the only sounds being Caesar jumbling music for that evening in the living room and Jazmine squealing at Riley for dropping something, who seemed to be yelling back in all his gangsta glory. Cindy was close to giving up; she had a low tolerance level already and the eldest Freeman brother was seriously testing her patience, until she realised what he had admitted and she managed to crack a smile.

"So you love the old Jazmine."

It didn't need to be said as a question, the answer being so obvious. Huey was silent, his dark eyes fixed intently on a scar on his hand as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. He didn't have a reply for the white girl; of course he didn't. Because, for the first time, she was right. The Chicagoan rested his head wearily against the painted railing once again, his eyes closing briefly to shut out the world as Cindy started up again,

"Huey, I know Jazmine has changed a lot these past four years. It's obvious. But, you know," She glanced over at him quickly before he could return the favour, "I spend almost all my time here. She's not always such a bitch, the old Jazmine is still there somewhere. She likes to kid herself that she's got this perfect life, Huey, but who really likes the idea of their parents going away on their birthday? There's more to her than she lets on, you know."

Huey was quiet for a moment before hoisting himself to his feet, brushing his jeans down as he turned to leave the house and Cindy behind, allowing her words to sink in. If for this whole time, Jazmine had just been playing an act, then she had been doing so very convincingly. She had even managed to reel him in, and normally he could see sense in most situations. If what Cindy had said was true, then no wonder Jazmine seemed to hate him. Maybe he was supposed to work this out months, even years ago. Sighing for what felt like the millionth time that day, Huey let himself into his house to think for a moment, collecting what he needed from the kitchen to cook his grandfather's dinner, hoping that if he did enough of these favours for the lazy old man, then perhaps he would get something in return to go towards his rusted truck.

And so that was how he found himself, three hours, a meal and ungrateful grandparent later, in front of Jazmine DuBois' household that was rocking with the music that Caesar, presumably was playing. He could hear voices laughing from the back of the house, the splashes showing that the party had expanded into the pool, and he noticed that even more teenager were trekking along the streets towards the house, a lot of who he knew but even more that he didn't. He knew this was going to be such a bad idea, and he knew that he would absolutely and fully regret it in the morning, but he was going to have to confront Jazmine sooner rather than later.

And you know how the saying goes; a drunk man speaks a sober heart.

Or woman.

So, with this set in mind, Huey took a deep breath, experimented with his left arm a little (he had ditched the sling after it got splashed by his cooking earlier) and stepped into the house.

Finally! I don't think it's quite as long as normal, but I'm glad I got it done!:D

I really hope you enjoyed this:) Poor Huey:/ And guys, you don't think I need to change the rating on this, do you? I don't think it needs a Mature warning but with all this talk of removing stories and so on…Tell me what you think?3

Thank you so _so_ much for reading, darlings, and please tell me what you think! If you don't review, then I don't know!3 you all.


	5. The Morning After the Day Before

Heyyy guysss:) I finally made it!X) Ok so here's the deal; Imma put Chapter 5 up in 2 parts because my damn keyboard is so stupid that it makes the typing like…three times as long-_-. So yeah…this'll be in 2 parts, so enjoy!:) Oh, and if you keep wondering where the hell I've gone, I update on my profile pretty regularly (mostly with apologies for taking too long….) so yeah..check it out!:)3

(Ps…sorry if there are any ridiculous mistakes. It's almost one am here…-_- I love you all _that_ much3)

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><p><strong>Jazavelli: <strong>I think it's been my fave to write so far:P (though I do love him most… ._.) Who knows? I guess there's a lot we're gonna have to find out later…;) I see what you did girl;) Who knows, maybe one day she'll stop?;)

**ChaosMaster1234: **Hell yeah, she got flaws-_- Thank you so much man, it means a lot:)

**MissG2020: **Definitely._. Thank you hunnie...imma try update now..^^;

**Miss Natasha: **Thank you **so** much!3 He might do..;)

**Paige1292: **Damn right, she's a bitch!^^; Aaaa I love their like…love/hate thing going on:P..thank youuu3

**Bunnybabe247: **Thank you dearie:)

**Guest: **Thanks:) Well she thinks she is so we'll just have to put up with her…^^;

**Schweetpea1870: **Oh god, don't we all?X) Damn right, she changed._. Ha, aww thank you girlll3 You're too kind3

**Wolfprincess16: **You really don't have anything to be jealous of^^; Thank you, though, hunnie3

**Shawna: **I'm trying to write one now._. But thanks:)

**Chichi-O: **I know man:( Definitely 5. Ugh, Jazmine, I know-_- Ha thank you hun, it means a lot:)3 Imma trying to update right nowX)

**Guest: **Ha, thanks man:) Much appreciated.

Thanks for all the reviews guys:) They keep me wanting to write this story, and they mean so much 3 Oh, and lanky lamppost Huey...it's explained:) (though i wouldn't have mentioned it without you, so thanks3)Ok, so I hope you enjoy the story! Please review me, gorgeous people, or I'll not know if you liked it and then I won't be able to write any more…:(

Chapter 4- The morning after the night before.

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><p>Jazmine's head was pounding.<p>

As she struggled to haul herself upright, the world spun like a carousel around her body and waves of nausea washed over her like a tsunami. The motion was so intense, she was forced to crash back down and wonder over how beautiful her bed was, and why she had never noticed this before. Her vision was blurred and the bitter tang of alcohol lingered within her mouth, sticking to her tongue like glue. Her body felt like it was weighted to the mattress she had collapsed onto, and she pondered over how she had even managed to sit up the moment earlier.

Groaning and hardly surprised to find her throat felt like it was coated with grit, the mulatto rolled onto her side and glanced blearily at the fluffy pink alarm clock on her bedside table. At least she was actually in her bedroom. After a minute of thinking, Jazmine soon realised that everything that had happened, her entire "perfect" eighteenth birthday party, had been wiped from her mind. There was the moments of her friends helping to set up the house, and then right here, right now. Nothing in between, except blackness. Once, someone had told her that waking up with no memory showed you had an amazing party. The person who had told her that was clearly out of their mind.

After waiting for her aching eyes to adjust to reality, the teenage girl finally was able to decipher the blaring numbers on her clock and realise it was nine am. The information didn't settle in at first, leaving her in a demented stupor for a moment as she lay there beneath her covers, still in her clothes from the night before that reeked of drink and cigarettes. She was just contemplating over her forgotten memories, straining her mind desperately to remember something, anything, until it hit her.

_Shit_.

She was late. School started at, like, eight thirty? She was normally up and out of the house by seven forty, at the latest. Ceasar would always come for her right on time and they'd ride together, never really talking much. Her confused state of mind taking over any sensible thoughts, Jazmine rushed to get ready, dragging out a pair of baggy jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt she hadn't worn since she was at least fourteen. She didn't have time to consider her usual fashion options for her possy to envy over; she could barely remember what her name was, let alone match a pink skirt to a cute matching top.

Frowning, Jazmine stared at herself blankly in the wall-length jewelled mirror as she realised the obvious; where _was_ Caesar? He wouldn't have forgotten about her, and the one time she had slept in before, he had come up to her room to wake her. So what had happened that morning? She was sure that her sleep had been undisturbed since whatever ridiculous time the previous night, and if his car had broken down, they could have just used hers. This was making no sense. Frantically, she began to rake through her belongings to find her mobile, praying for some form of answer for her troubles to be waiting for her on there.

Usually, when Jazmine had checked her phone each morning before then, there were on average about thirty two text messages, eighteen missed calls and twenty four answerphone messages. That morning, there was nothing. Not a single text, missed call or message. Panicked, the mulatto girl loaded up the internet which took her directly to Facebook, hoping the explanation to all this…_madness_, would be on there, waiting for her. The home page appeared far too slowly for her liking and, frustrated, she went straight to her profile, waiting with baited breath.

Nothing.

No friend requests, no messages, not even a single _bloody_ notification.

What was going on?

At first, Jazmine thought it was a joke. It had to be, right? Why else would all her friends, admirers, _anyone_, avoid like this? It wasn't like she had ever done anything to any of them. Sighing at their apparent idiocy, she flickered to her texts and messaged her boyfriend, feeling relieved that this whole morning was just a mistake, a turning eighteen prank.

_Heyyy babee3 Lol, u got me. Very funny, guys. U almost had me3 C u at skwlxxx3_

There was no reply.

_Babe? I got it, ok? U win, just text me, k?xxx3_

_Ur scarin me now, bbe. _

_What's goin on?_

Jazmine was officially freaked. After at least half an hour of waiting (and Caesar checked his phone, like, every ten minutes) there was still no sign of life from her boyfriend, or anyone to be exact, and the girl was left wondering what the _fucking hell_ was going on. If this was some kind of practicaly joke, it had gone way too far. It wasn't funny any more. She was scared and, quite frankly, pretty damn upset. She had never done _anything_ to these people, so what gave them the _right_ to treat her like this?

Fuelled by her rage, Jazmine stormed from her bedroom and down the stairs, not bothering to even brush her hair or grab something for breakfast as she made a beeline for her car. They were _so_ dead when she got to school; she wasn't sure who, exactly, but they were going to fucking _pay_. Clambering into her mini, which luckily hadn't been damaged by whatever in the world happened the night before, the girl thrust the key into the engine and, surveying the rubbish and bottles littering the driveway, made a mental note to clear up before her parents came home that night.

Just her luck, the car wouldn't start. She tried again, and again, only to be greeted with the same, strained whirring noise as the mini juddered hopelessly, clearly having given up on her also. Simultaneously, Jazmine caught sight of her makeup-less, nappy-haired self in the wing mirror and was about to give up on life and crawl back to bed as she screamed into the steering wheel, wondering what the hell had happened to her perfect life and where it had gone in the space of one night.

Suddenly, the car bounced into life and Jazmine had to sigh in relief as she was able to make it out of her driveway smoothly, luckily avoiding the glass bottles that still had to be cleaned away. There was very little traffic as she made her way to school late that morning, and her phone still failed to alert her to any half-decent people wondering where she was at such an hour. Once she actually managed to make it to the car park at her school, she honestly gasped in horror when she realised that someone had parked in her space.

Someone. Some…_nobody_, in _her_ space. Oh, dear lord, someone was really out to get her, and they knew just how to do it.

Fuming, the mulatto girl was forced to park near the bins in a space that, unfortunately, was right next to a rickety old truck that would look better suited to a scrapyard than a car park. This brought her to the attention that, _just_ to make things worse, she had to leave her beautiful new mini next to Huey Freeman's…_thing_. Clearly, he'd got rid of the sling to help heal his shoulder, and whilst going over how invincible the boy seemed to think he was, she had noticed how sickly he had been looking recently. The elder Freeman brother had been pretty well-built back when they were, say, fifteen years old. He had got into the habit of practising martial arts on a regular basis (a hobby Jazmine simply could not get her head around) and consequently was granted with some pretty well-eyed muscles.

Recently, though, Huey had been looking rather skinny and, frankly, unhealthy. She was aware that his grandfather had been ill recently and that the oldest Freeman brother had been taking the majority of the burden on his shoulders, but clearly it was affecting him more than he left on. That, and his younger brother, Riley (the most irritating person Jazmine had ever met) had been showing a particular interest in gangs to the extent of considering joining them to perfect his "gangster" lifestyle, and really, when she thought about it, Huey had quite a lot to worry about.

Not that she was bothered, or anything.

Praying that people would look past her shoddy appearance, Jazmine tugged back her mass of strawberry blonde curls and headed into school, glad she left her books in her locker. The halls were eerily deserted, especially as she had never been out of class at the regular time before, and the sound of her ancient Converses on the linoleum floor (why had she even put them on? _What_ was she thinking?) was echoing about the entire school. Upon reaching her locker, she was astounded to find that have of her belongings were sprawled out on the floor by her feet, and that one side of her once double locker wouldn't open.

No way. Someone had taken her locker. Why would someone do that? There had to be heaps of unused lockers in their giant of a school, _what_ gave someone the right to screw with hers without _her_ permission? She was in the mind to go to the head teacher and have a nice long screech about what had gone wrong with her life, until she realised they would persecute her for being out of class, and so having to grin and bear it until she figured out what was going on would be the only way to survive.

Struggling to stopper her ever-rising anger, Jazmine raked a hand through her hair, frustrated even further by its texture, before hauling open her locker. It was practically jam-packed already, and after a while of juggling and removing the books she'd need for that morning while wondering why she hadn't kept a spare Gucci bag in there, she managed to shove the rest of her belongings away and had to lean against the closed door, exhausted. This was getting to be too much; her life had been literally, turned upside-down on its head and she had absolutely no idea why. Jazmine hated to be left in the dark, everyone knew that, and this was killing her.

All of a sudden, the bell signalling the beginning of their morning break shrieked through the halls and shook her right out of her daydream, the noise feeling like a slap about the face. She watched, ever hopeful, as the teenagers began to flock from their classrooms to the outside world, like moths to a flame. Not one of them stopped to greet her, there wasn't even a friendly glance in her direction. It was as though she had become invisible.

Confused and bewildered beyond belief, Jazmine compressed herself against her locker as the kids pushed past her, ignorant to her being. Eventually, a familiar figure began to head her way, and she heaved a heavy sigh of relief as she was finally accepted back into reality.

The cocoa-skinned boy was walking straight towards her, his eyes fixed on a point a way behind her and his dark dreadlocks barely skimming his shoulders as he flitted down the hallway. He was in his usual, comforting attire of t-shirt and jeans, checked shirt open atop the rest and she was surprised at how glad she was to see him looking like normal, even though usually she begged him to wear something more…upmarket.

"Caesar."

She reached out to grab his arm, only managing to catch a fragment of his sleeve and slow his pace for a moment. Chocolate eyes met emerald, and there was a moment lingering with an emotion Jazmine couldn't describe, before his emotion hardened and he pulled away roughly, ignoring her shocked expression as he shoved his way down the hallway and out of sight, leaving her hurt and alone. This wasn't right. The way he had stared at her like that…she had never seen her boyfriend like that before, not in the eight years of knowing him. This had to be a dream. A horrible, terrible nightmare. She would wake up soon and be on time and tell all friends about her peculiar mind and they would laugh and everything would be fine and back to normal.

The dream was taking a while to fade, though. Normally, when she figured out it wasn't real, reality became only a second away. But after much, much longer than that, she realised she was still there, in the nightmare. Furrowing her plucked eyebrows slightly, Jazmine closed her eyes tight three times, squeezing them closed so hard that they hurt. After that, she even bothered trying to click her canvas heels, hoping that maybe this was all a screwed up night after falling asleep watching _The Wizard of Oz. _When not even that worked, she began to pinch herself everywhere, all the way up her arms until she was sure there was bruising beneath the aubergine material.

"Practising self-harm, now?"

A voice rattled into her senses, and she turned slowly to her right to find Huey Freeman staring right back at her, not the slightest hint of anger in his wine-hued eyes. Oh, this was definitely a dream. Huey hadn't looked at her normally since, well, since she had told him she never wanted to speak to him ever again. Four years was such a long time to hate someone you once lo-liked.

"I was just checking."

Jazmine managed to blurt out after struggling to comprehend his sarcastic comment, wondering where all her wonderful confidence and arrogance had gone.

"Well, I reckon you've checked enough now. What's up with you?" He added as an afterthought when noticing her bizarre expression, "You're looking at me like you've never seen me before."

"No, I just," she rubbed her forehead furiously and wondered _why_ she was even talking to him, someone who definitely wouldn't help her social status…if she still had one, "I don't remember what happened last night. And everything has gone _really_ weird."

He noticed her sudden change of wording, but chose not to act upon it in case she started up again. Adding "like" into a conversation every five seconds was rather intolerable.

"Well, you do remember our conversation last night," Huey studied her confused expression closely, "Right?"

"Sorry," Jazmine decided that she had lost her mind, because talking to Huey Freeman was seriously never something a sane person would do; though life was anything but sane at that moment, "I don't. What was it about?"

A flash of something she could't describe flickered across his eyes before he shrugged nonchalantly and began to leave, trudging towards the exit,

"Nothing. Don't worry 'bout it."

Jazmine found herself feeling perplexed. Everyone was ignoring her, no one seemed to care about her, even her _boyfriend_ appeared to hate her. Everyone…except Huey Freeman.

What the _hell_ had happened last night?

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><p>Ah. Finally.3<br>so here's the deal, gorgeous people. It's shorter than normal because it's in two parts, and it's in two parts because I'm feeling bad, leaving you all hanging after being to kind to review me3 so here you go! I hope you enjoyed this, I really liked writing it (no more "…,like,…" !:D) and please, please review! Otherwise, how do I know if you want more? 3 I love you all. Thank you so much 3


	6. The Morning After the Day Before Part 2

So I'm finally back guys!..^^; Ahh, I'm _so_ sorry for taking so long-_- I'm really, _really_ busy at the moment and it's difficult to find time to write this story, but I will!:3 Huge apologies if there are any misspelled words, my "s" key isn't working and neither is…well...the key on the left of W…-_- and please, if you enjoy this..._tell me_!:D

**MissG2020**: I know girlX) Ha, I'm glad you found the wait worthwile:)

**Guest**: …patience X)

**Guest**: aw thanks dude:) I'm definitely going to keep goingX)

**Paige1292**: HaX) You may have to wait a little while, but it'll come out eventuallyX) Maybe she did, maybe she didn't….

**Danieln327**: Aw, thanks man:)

**Jazavelli**: I getcha girl:) I reckon it's annoying everyone…X) I kinda figured it was you though:P It sounded like your writing:) What _did_ she and Huey talk about?X) Of course she does..:) Ha, she deserved it;) And yeah, no more irritating "like" s every 5 seconds-_- Let's hope it isX)

**DeLorean Hedgehog**: Thanks hunnie:D

**LovinHueyFreeman**: (I owe you a pile of reviews btw._.) Finally!:D Of course she was stupid, but I guess she gets what she wants…X) Very lacking:P But maybe she's not got as much common sense as youX) Aaa, don't make assumptions about Huey just yetX) (though I guess that's the point of all these cliffhangersX)) Aww, sweetie thank you so much3 you're too lovely3

**Up**: I want doesn't get, dear:)

**Guest**: aa:P I'm hoping you're not angry with the fact that it's been like..2 weeks -_-

**ILove You1234567890123**: she had it coming to her:P Ha, I doubt they did, I don't think Huey's that type (no comment for drunk Jazmine…:P) Lol, those guesses were pretty interestingX) Vo happy you liked it!:)

Ok guys, so thank you for all the _gorgeous_ reviews!:) I love you all, and if you enjoy this next half-chapter then _please_ tell me! Otherwise, why should I bother writing the rest? So enjoy, please review, and FF isn't letting the heart icon appear (the arrowhead and 3) so if you randomly get a 3 in my reply to your review…it's meant to be a heartX) _Love you guys_, let's _go_! 3

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><p><strong>What the <strong>_**hell**_** had happened last night?**

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><p>Jazmine's day had been going from bad to worse ever since she had arrived at Wuncler High School that morning. First off, she looked like a freaking <em>tramp<em> in her plain t-shirt and ripped jeans that hadn't dared leave the wardrobe for years. Her usually perfectly tamed hair was now a frazzled mess to match her emotions; her strawberry-blonde tresses tangled into their naturally clenched fuzz that made her head look more like a birds nest. There was a substantial lack of make-up on her face and she was all too aware of the spatterings of freckles across her nose that would be all too obvious. Even her shoes matched her new "style"; grubby Converses that she couldn't even remember last wearing. She felt like the ugliest girl in the world and, judging by the reactions of those around her (even ones she didn't _know_), she probably was.

And then, despite looking like some kind of god-damned _hobo_, every single person she had ever known had ceased all communications with her. The first person she had met that morning was Caesar, and he had looked at her as though she was something nasty stuck to the bottom of his shoe. Jazmine just couldn't understand it; the day before he had been as in love with her as always, and now…well. She honestly had no idea what she was meant to have done; I mean, yeah, Caesar had originally been part of her master plan to reach the top of the social structure. It wasn't like she was going to go from naïve, childish Jazmine to perfect, envied Jazmine all by herself; the popular Caesar had been needed to give her the right kind of boost.

But she had grown to love him, or at least she had thought so. That peculiar day was making her reconsider many of the choices she had made in her life, and in particular, whether she had ever fallen in love with the Brooklyn boy at all. Even so, that was a fact only she was aware of, and so Jazmine still was left in the dark over the sudden change of heart of her bo-…well, ex-boyfriend, now, she supposed. She hadn't come across any of her other "friends" until their first breaktime, when she had found them in their usual spot underneath the aching willow tree in their school grounds, not too far from the fountains.

Her eyes, of course, had first fallen upon the form of Caesar, who had been slouched against the gnarled trunk of the tree by his best friend, his nose buried deep in a newspaper. Cindy had been nearby, smirking in Riley's lap, of who had been lolling on the slope of the grass itself, both slightly detached from the two boys and yet close enough to prove they were all there together. Quite frankly, Jazmine had actually been nervousabout approaching her friends at first, a feeling she hadn't suffered from in such a long time. The worry had lasted for a moment, however, as she soon dismissed the _ridiculous_ emotions and made her way towards the bunch of teenagers, her head held high in her most well-rehearsed attempt at confidence.

There had been some slight chatter between the four friends before she reached them, but as soon as they spied her arrival, they fell silent. This was something Jazmine was all too aware of but, mentally kicking herself for even feeling bothered by this, she continued in her path towards them until she was standing right alongside Cindy. The air was so heavy with unease, she felt like she was being compressed into the ground, and from the stares she was being given, she almost hoped she would.

"Hey."

She hated how pathetic she sounded. One day of being hounded for something she couldn't even remember, and she was falling back into her old, insecure mess of a life. Cindy shuffled in her place awkwardly, judging her next actions by glancing at both Caesar and Riley, who both had matching expressions of disgust. As the inside-out oreo hauled herself to her feet, Jazmine felt like screaming at the boys' reactions; she knew that Caesar was furious with her for something she couldn't remember, but _Riley_? She hardly ever _spoke_ to him, what the _hell_ had he to be angry about?

"Jazzy, girl," It was then that the mulatto noticed her skinny friend was tugging her away from the boys slightly, so they were just out of earshot, "This ain't right."

Jazmine stared at the teenager blankly as Cindy flicked her fishtail plait from one shoulder to the other, seeming incredibly uncomfortable in her company, and causing the cinnamon-haired girl to frown,

"What do you mean? Of _course_ it's not right, everyone hates me for something I _haven't even done."_

"Jazmine, don't lie to me," Cindy's turquoise eyes hardened as her friend spoke, her arms folding taught over her chest, "You may think it's aight tah treat yo friends like shit, but it fuckin' ain't. Ceasar's mah homie, what 'chu did tah him was fuckin' harsh, even by yo standards."

Again, Jazmine found herself feeling stupefied by her friend's words, completely oblivious to whatever she had done that had been so terrible the night before. She couldn't ever believe she would say something directly cruel to Caesar; why should she have to? But this didn't really give her a reason for _every single person_ she knew to suddenly stop talking to her.

"Cindy, I don't-"

The pale-skinned teenager put a hand up, choosing to interrupt her friend before she had even finished, her expression exasperated as she closed her eyes,

"I don't wanna hear it, Jazmine. You were a fuckin' bitch last night, you know dat? Riley's my _boyfriend_ and he's right for once; what you did was just fuckin' _cruel_."

There was silence. Cindy began to walk away and Jazmine sighed miserably, burying her head in her palms as the riddles of the night before continued to worm their way through her mind.

"I just don't understand what happened. What did I do last night that made everyone _hate me_?"

The blonde-haired girl halted in her tracks for just a moment, turning to glance at the mulatto teenager with an expression that seemed almost helpless as she replied soflty,

"You fuckin' screwed up."

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><p>So that was it. Everyone hated her for something she didn't know she had done, and no one was telling her what it was. Everyone, perhaps, except Huey Freeman. Not including Cindy's, er, <em>pep talk<em>, Huey had been the only one to talk to her like an actual human being and as though nothing was wrong. This would normally be comforting, if it wasn't for the fact that she hadn't spoken to Huey properly since they were fourteen, and she had been treating him like dirt for the past four years. He had sidled up and chatted to her as thought the past years had never happened, and they had remained best friends throughout. What was really worrying Jazmine about the matter, however, was the fact that something had happened overnight to change his perspective of her, and she was seriously anxious about learning what that was.

When the time had eventually crawled to lunch, Jazmine couldn't bear being in the sight of anyone anymore. The looks she had been receiving in her classes and the hallways, even in the girls' toilets, were enough to make her want to hide from just about everything, and so this came to be the reason why she spent her lunchtime in a particularly empty corner of the library. The library, like at any other school, was mainly deserted with the exception to nerds and those desperately trying to finish homework due for their next lesson. Jazmine, of course, hadn't set foot in there for years, mainly as it _really_ didn't go well with her social status, but also because she had always had somewhere better to be.

Sinking into her corner, Jazmine closed her emerald eyes and rested her head back against the peeling wall, praying over and over again that this day was some kind of nightmare. She tried to remember her actions of the previous night, genuinely she did, but there was only the before and after, nothing set in between apart from the everlasting blackness. She was practically at the stage of crying her heart out, tears prickling her eyelids as she dragged her knees up to her chest and buried her head in her arms, wondering just _what_ was going on to her perfect life.

"Didn't expect to see you here. Never thought you were the book type."

The familiar voice was softer than usual, and Jazmine barely glanced up as she watched the elder Freeman brother crash to the ground beside her, his messenger bag resting on his stomach. He had sprawled his lanky legs out before him, his head not too far away from hers as he dragged out a package wrapped in a napkin. It was only then that Jazmine realised she had forgotten to grab anything from the canteen before she was spotted by anyone ready to have another go at her, and her stomach rumbled at the pure _thought_ of food.

"Do you want some?" Huey turned to look at her, his maroon eyes piercing her own, "It's a veggie burger…not really your kind of thing. I'd have thought you'd remember to get something of your own, though, if you're going to be a coward."

"_Coward_?" Jazmine glared at him, hastily wiping the ghost tears on her sleeve, "What are you talking about? None of this is my fault!"

"On the contrary," Huey bit into his burger after passing her a piece, to which she eyed suspiciously, "I'd say this is all your fault. Whether you remember it or not, you did this to yourself, Jazmine."

"But that's just the point!" Jazmine was struggling to not scream in her anguish, "I don't know what I did! I don't remember _anything_ from last night and I don't know what to do, and if that's being a coward then fine, because yesterday everything was perfect and today everyone hates me and I don't know _why_."

"I don't hate you."

Jazmine paused, staring at him for a moment as she considered his words; she supposed she already knew that Huey didn't hate her, judging by the way he had been treating her. But hearing him actually say it was another matter entirely.

"And anyway," Huey continued, finishing off his burger quickly, as though he hadn't eaten in quite some time, "Nobody has a perfect life, Jazmine. Not even you."

The two fell into silence. Jazmine convinced herself to swallow the piece of veggie burger that was left over for the sake of her rumbling stomach, and surprised herself on that it wasn't so bad (though she wouldn't ever tell Huey that). The Chicagoan pawed out a well-thumbed novel and was about to settle into reading it when the mulatto eventually broke the peace, unable to feel at ease in her current position,

"Won't the others be wondering where you are? Caesar will probably want to talk to you."

"No," Huey shrugged nonchalantly, "Caesar talked to me already this morning. And besides, I don't want to be a part of their conversation."

He met her gaze with this last comment, and it made Jazmine all that more aware that she was probably the hot topic of their afternoon. Groaning slightly, she buried her face back into the ripped knees of her jeans and wished to be back in her bed, or at least, to have some answers for her absolutely ridiculous predicament.

"Huey?"

The young revolutionary grunted slightly, clearly irritated by being dragged out of his book as he barely made the move to look at her, eyes stubbornly lingering on the page.

"What happened between us last night?"

Huey halted for a moment, as though he was seriously considering his choice of words, before replying,

"We talked."

"But-"

"We talked, Jazmine," He frowned at her as she matched his scowl, irritated by his bare response, "That's all you need to know."

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><p>After a rather bumbling afternoon, in which Jazmine merely pondered over what her conversation with the blunt Huey Freeman could have been about, the teenage girl had made sure to be the first one out of the school building. This was not just to be sure that she wouldn't run into any more angry peers, but also because her parents would be home from work just an hour or so after her, and she still had to clear up all the mess from the night before. The night that, in her opinion, hadn't really occurred.<p>

The confident and high-ranking Jazmine would have enlisted several doting friends and admirers to clean up her house for her, while she surveyed their progress with a drink in hand. But that Jazmine had to be thrown in the bin along with the hundreds of empty bottles and general rubbish as she cleaned up her home by herself, hoping she may come across some kind of clue or anything, really, that would help her discover what truly had happened the night before. Unfortunately, all she came across was vomit, used condoms (she cleaned her bed sheets just in case, though her room had been locked) and foul smelling trash that led her to pray air freshener in every room she came to, just in case.

By the end of that long hour of actually working for once in her life, when she was happy enough that her parents wouldn't be able to tell that a party had occurred of such size the night before, Jazmine logged herself onto Facebook. Big mistake. She had only really gone on to see if she could do a bit of digging, scroll through a few comments or pictures to find out what she had done the night before to make her into such a bad person, but instead all she got was over a thousand lost friends, meaning she couldn't actually check anything about herself anywhere. Sighing and pretty sure her day couldn't get any worse, Jazmine sunk her head onto the desk and let out a deep breath, only to hear her parents enter the house downstairs, _arguing_.

Of course, everyone's parents argue from time to time. You know, over trivial things such as furniture or bills or so on, nothing that really caused a rift between them. Jazmine's parents had always been cautious to never argue, not really, save perhaps, over her birthday cake choices or Usher (but that had been when she was ten, and it was a long story). But this kind of arguing wasn't the petty sort. No, it seemed full on, doors banging and mouths yelling kind of arguing. The kind that Jazmine had never been exposed to before, and therefore, the worst kind.

Creeping out of her bedroom, the mulatto teenager padded onto the landing outside to listen to her parents as they argued just below her feet, her father's back visible when she peered over the railings.

"I'm _sick_ of this, Tom! I'm _sick_ of my job, I'm _sick_ of this life and I'm _sick_ of _you_!"

"Fuck it then! I don't need this right now, Sarah. Go and complain to that pretty boy in your office if you _fucking want to_. Everyone knows you're fucking him! _Why don't you just fuck off and leave me in peace!"_

"_Maybe I will!"_

The front door slammed. A briefcase was flung at a wall, a man cried out in anguish, and a single set of footsteps eventually faded away, leaving Jazmine alone on the landing. Never, in all her life, had her parents shouted at one another like that before. Never. What was happening to her life, her perfect life with the perfect boyfriend, the perfect friends, the perfect parents? What had happened? She slid down the railings until she was huddled on the fawn carpet, her body balled up into a foetal position as she compressed her hands to her lips and, finally, sobbed into her knees, wishing it could all just end.

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><p>Well that was a happy ending for a chapter, wasn't it guys?^^;…<p>

I'm feeling a little sorry for her now. But anyway; I hope you guys loved reading this as much as I loved writing it, and please drop me a review! They're all appreciated so much and help me so much with writing the next chapters:) I love you all!3 see you next time, my gorgeous readers and reviewers:)


	7. An Unconventional Approach

Heyyy guys!:) I'm really sorry this has taken so long to do…but I hope you all like it!:D (anyone know when season 4 comes out?:D:D:D)

So…review timeeee:D

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><p><strong>Paige1292<strong>: You'll find out soon enough girlX) (omg, right? Converses are my fave too, I'm never out of themX)) ohh you bet she likes him:P ha, well I'm glad you feel bad for her:) That's what I was going forX)

**Jazavelli**: haha well, she did deserve it..:/I know right?! He's way too good for her:P Exactly man, it'll come out sooner or later:P Definitely sucks to be here….aww thank you!:D It means a lot, girl3 (I'm sorry I took so long._.)

**LovinHueyFreeman**: That's what I'm going for!X) Well we knew she had them as a kid with her hair, so I reckoned she'd still have them a little when she was older:) Ugh, I know right? (love Ceasar3 he's always treated so badly in my stories…) I'm glad you're loving it despite the probably irritating cliffhangersX) We're getting there!:D (I'm sorry I took ages..)

**shellieB**: Naw, I've decided I'm just going to keep it a secret forever:P

**BlackPanthersMJ1958-2009**: What indeed?

**MaiXii**: haha, your logic is making me laugh a little manX) CindyxHuey? Hmm…interesting:P

**Princess Negativity**: AWWW THANK YOU!33

**Daniel327**: thanks man:)

**Boondocks23**: It's cool bro, you're reviewing now!:D (it means so much:)) Thank you man:D You'll find out soonX)

**ILoveYou1234567890123**: Did they? Orr…didn't they?X) Ugh, I know right? She's so superficial…you bet it is. Thank you!:D

**BananaMilkshake97**: aaaaaa the reviewer with the epic name:D who knows, man?

**Dara**: I'm continuing right now:D

So! Thank you _all __**so**__ much for the reviews_. You know how much I appreciate them all, and don't forget, if you like this chapter then _please_ tell me what you think! Otherwise, how will I know to continue?:) _(I do think it's funny how you all think that Huey and Jazmine have…well…you know;)_ Haha, we'll have to find out what happened, won't we?) so yeah! Please read, please enjoy…and please drop me a review_! I love you all, gorgeous reviewers and readers!3_

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><p>Reminiscence- Chapter Five<p>

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><p>"<em>Fuck dis shit<em>."

For the first time in far too long, Huey Freeman had been enjoying a rare moment of peace and quiet as he settled himself on the worn sofa in the living room. A well-thumbed copy of Malcom X's biography was slumped in his lap as he sprawled on the sofa in quite an un-Huey-like fashion. A freshly made sandwich lay hopefully on a plate by his side, and was so ignorant as to believe that perhaps today, he may just get an hour to himself. His elderly grandfather had locked himself away, "sleeping" (Huey suspected he was chatting up girls a fourth of his age on Myspace), and he hadn't seen Riley for the best part of the day, unfortunately getting his hopes up.

Of course, this rare occasion of peace was not to last, because not much Huey wanted worked out these days, and not even fifteen minutes after he had settled down, his younger brother had burst through the front door, kicking off his shoes.

"Nice to see you too, Riley."

Huey's sarcasm went in one ear and out of the other as Riley, cursing loudly, swiped up his brother's sandwich and wolfed it down in a single gulp.

"I'm serious, bruh," Riley crashed down beside his brother, much to Huey's distaste, "Dis shit is a motherfuckin' _joke_. _Six_ months community service for doing _fuck all_?!"

"Well you were accused of handling illegal substances," Huey mumbled, struggling to fall back into his book, "What were the Police meant to do?"

"I keep tellin' a nigga, _it ain't me_! The _fuck_ would I have drugs on me?" He faltered under his elder brother's raised eyebrow, before continuing, "Well, aight, Young Reezy like 'em, what nigga don't? But I ain't stupid enough to get _caught_, ya feel me?"

When Huey didn't respond, wine-coloured eyes drawn back to the dog-eared pages, Riley began to speak again, egging on a response,

"Imma be honest, Huey, it ain't me. I ain't take no drugs tah dat party, _honest_. It all dat _Jazmine's _fault, she da one dat ratted me out. Yo ass believes me, right?"

"Riley, do you really expect me to believe that between _you_, the one with the criminal record from the age of ten, and Jazmine, little miss Perfect, that _she_ brought drugs _to_ _her own party_?" Huey shook his head incredulously, and left his little brother on the sofa to his own thoughts as he moved to the kitchen, hoping to be less disturbed there.

Unfortunately, his brother's confession (that had been pounded into his skull every hour since the party) had made him seriously consider what exactly had happened that particular night. Huey hadn't actually stayed for the entire ordeal, if he was going to be rather frank. He had only gone with talking to Jazmine in mind, and had ended up staying for around two hours, meaning he had missed the majority of the drama. Therefore, he couldn't see himself to be in a position to judge Jazmine on what she had apparently done, as he hadn't witnessed it first-hand. Though, to be honest, the fact that every single person in their year hated her was quite overwhelming.

He knew she had been drunk. She had been pretty far from sober when he spoke to her, and so the fact that he had heard all these rumours about her was not completely unsurprising. He did struggle, however, to believe that Jazmine had brought Cocaine to her own party, and then even more that she would deal it out and plant the remains on Riley.

Sitting at the breakfast table, Huey stared lazily out of the window, his book abandoned on the worktop, one leg drawn up to his chest. He rested his chin on his knee and scowled automatically, thinking over the conversation he had endured with Jazmine three days previously. He only wished that what had been said had sunk in, instead of being forgotten completely by the mulatto much like the rest of the night.

_26 February 2018- 8:47 pm_

_Huey had been searching the Dubois residence for the past half hour in the hopes of finding Jazmine alone, a feat which was now becoming impossible. The only other times he had come across her, she had either been snogging the life out of Caesar or dragging him upstairs, neither of which times that Huey felt right to intercept. Therefore, the only chance he got was when she was lingering alone on the bottom of the carpeted staircase, looking suitably queasy. He settled himself down beside her, checking no one was about to interrupt their chat before he began._

"_**Hey, Jazmine."**_

_The mulatto teenager stared at him, bleary eyes barely open as she slumped back against the ornate railings. Huey wondered what on earth he was about to do; confessing his feelings to a drunk woman like a coward. What was he doing having these ridiculous emotions anyway? He was a Black Freedom Fighter! Not a…a lazy, teenage nigga who had a crush on the same girl for almost four years. But, he supposed, there was no denying it. He hadn't actually dated any girls, excusing himself with the Revolution, when really, he couldn't ever quite get his mind off Jazmine. It was really rather disturbing, when he mulled it over. _

"_**I, well, I just wanted to talk to you about something…"**__He trailed off as she stared at him curiously, as though she was trying to remember if she wanted him there or not._

"_**I didn't invite you."**_

_Well, that was what he supposed she said. It all came out rather slurred._

"_**I know, but I needed to tell you something."**_

"_**I didn't invite you…."**_

_This was going to be difficult._

_There was a pause, in which Jazmine turned a worrying shade of green and Huey edged away slightly. She was staring at him with those round, jade eyes as though she had never quite seen him before, as though the deeper she looked, the more she might understand. Huey, on the contrary, was finding her gazing a little too much to bear, and so cleared his throat as he tried to plough on with his words,_

"_**I just wanted to tell you, Jazmine that, er," This was harder than he thought it would be, "I, erm. I mean. IreallylikeyouandIthoughtyou oughttoknowbutyou'redatingCaesarsoIhavenochanc eandIdon'tevenknowwhyI'mbotheringbecausehe'smybestfriendandthat'sallsoyeah**__."_

_That had been a mouthful. For a moment, it seemed as though Jazmine hadn't been able to interpret his unusually nervous babble, and there was a slight second of panic as he wondered if he would have to repeat himself and admit again, that he really liked her. But then, eventually, Jazmine spoke, seeming slightly more alert than she had before,_

"_**I **__used__** to **__so__** fancy you, y'know," she drawled out, swinging her head in his general direction, "But you never **__liked__** me, so I thought I'd go out with Caesar. I don't know **__why__** I did that, I mean, like, he was **__so__**-"**_

_But Huey never got to find out what Caesar was "so", as Jazmine suddenly retched and threw up a week's meals onto the plush carpet. Disgusted, and slightly disgruntled, Huey leapt to his feet and headed for the front door, deciding that it was up to Fate if Jazmine acted upon any of his words. The last thing he had seen before he left, was the mulatto girl heaving herself to her feet and stepping neatly over the puddle of sick, as though she did so every day. She straightened her skirt, twirled one of her frizzing curls and barely gave him a second glance as she toddled away into the heart of the party, leaving Huey to wonder if anything he had told her had actually sunk in._

Present Day

He could easily say, it hadn't been the most constructive of evenings. Clearly, from what Jazmine had been saying to him, she hadn't got the faintest idea what had happened between them that evening. either that, or she had chosen to forget, as this was probably more convenient. Sighing slightly, Huey picked up his book and flicked through it lazily, having suddenly lost his interest. There were so many things he could have been doing with his time. Reading, digging through the mound of homework that he hadn't even started yet, printing the next edition of the Free Huey, even planning the more detailed stages of his next protest. But, for some uncharacteristic reason, he just couldn't be bothered.

Unfortunately, Huey had been feeling like this for, really, quite some time. In the last six months or so, his grandfather's health had deteriorated to the point that some days he couldn't manage to get out of bed without help. Riley wasn't really much help; he didn't seem able to cope with the fact that their granddad simply wasn't going to be around forever, despite the "hard" attitude he tried so heavily to upkeep, and he spent most of his time getting into trouble anyway. This meant that everything to do with their grandfather was burdened to Huey. He did anything, from Doctor's appointments, to cooking, to checking that Robert Freeman was still breathing in the morning. Some days were far better than others, days when he seemed to be his usual, selfish person (these were usually spent on Myspace), and then there were times when Huey wondered how long his grandfather had left.

There was a fraction of a second when the silence was only filled by loud curses from Riley losing yet again on his Playstation, and Huey stared blankly into space for a moment before his mobile blared out on the table top, shattering his daydream.

"Hello?"

"_Hey man."_

It was Caesar. The Brooklyn teenager had been chatting to Huey far more than usual recently, and he was pretty sure it was to do with Jazmine. At least, that was all they ended up talking about.

"_I just don't understand why she did that. I never did anything to her, you know?"_

"I know, Caez," Huey drew imaginary circles on the table-top with his index finger, "you keep saying."

"_She didn't give me an explanation or anything, though. It was just…you know. Harsh, man."_

"Caez, take this from me, maybe it's just time you forget about her. All she's done is mess you around, and now we know why. Girls like her aren't worth it."

He wished he could take his own advice.

"_I know, Huey. But I still love her."_

He knew that feeling.

"_I sound like such a girl right now. Ugh, this is pathetic. What're you doing?"_

"Nothing," Huey replied truthfully, "Ignoring Riley being a nigga."

"_Ain't that what you're always doing_?" Caesar snorted, and Huey felt a little better that he had cheered his friend up somewhat, "_Look, you want to come over or whatever? I just got the new Soul Plane movie off the internet, you know, the one that's not in cinemas yet? You could do with a laugh."_

That was probably the most honest thing Huey had heard all year, but he wasn't too keen on leaving his grandfather on his own that night, for whatever reason; especially not with Riley around.

"Nah, man, I can't. Maybe some other time though."

"_How's your granddad?"_

Unfortunately, being his best friend and generally a well-adjusted person, Caesar had adopted an uncanny knack of being the rare person to see right through Huey, and knew him better than he did himself. He had the ability to read the Chicagoan's words and interpret them with something that Huey, though maybe feeling, wouldn't have admitted in a million years. Huey had actually never explained his grandfather's condition to his best friend, he hadn't needed to. Caesar had figured it all out by himself, eventually.

"He's fine," Huey lied easily, wondering where this talent had come from, "But I better go, Riley's about to smash the TV. See you at school."

And with that, he hung up before Caesar had managed to spit out another word, frowning a little at himself. Grumbling, he meandered to the fridge to nudge out some tofu to settle his whinging stomach, pondering over how he was to spend his evening while feeling like he was only half-there, as though life wasn't quite real. Recently, the line between dreams and reality had been blurring for Huey, and sometimes he couldn't work out exactly which one he was in. It was rather unsettling.

With that in mind, and his tofu set out before him, he was all ready for a peaceful evening of doing absolutely nothing, until the doorbell rang.

"_Riley_!" He frowned, irritated by the lack of response, "_Riley_! Are you gonna get that?

"_Fuck_ naw, Nigga! I's Young Reezy, I ain't answerin' da door fer _nobody_!"

Rolling his eyes at his childish brother, Huey abandoned his dinner regretfully and padded to the door, his usual nonplussed expression plastered to his face. Wrenching open the door, he did struggle to keep this face straight, however, as he found himself face to face with a rather red-eyed Jazmine. He was so shocked to see her standing on his doorstep for the first time in four years, that he let her in without a second's thought, and so consequently felt rather awkward as she stood before him in the hallway, hugging her arms taught to her chest.

Jazmine certainly seemed to have seen better times. Her hair, usually sleek and carefully styled, was foaming out in its natural cinnamon mass of frizz, tight curls springing out everywhere as though she was permanently plugged into an electric socket. Her face was red and blotchy, completely make-up free apart from the mascara that was running down her cheeks from crying. Her eyes seemed sore and rubbed raw, and he noticed that she was just in her pyjamas, which happened to be a baggy T-shirt and boxer shorts, instead of the usual tank-tops and skimpy nighties she was rumoured to have owned.

"Are you alright?"

It was probably the stupidest question on the history of the planet, and Huey immediately regretted asking as soon as the words had tumbled from his mouth. Of _course_ she wasn't alright, she was _crying_! He hated it when people cried, especially girls; he couldn't deal with it. Riley had a strange ability to sympathise with crying girls, charming them back to happiness. Obviously, this was a trait that had skipped Huey by completely.

"I don't understand what I've done to be hated by everyone!" Jazmine began to sob hysterically, and Huey took a step backwards hastily, unnerved, "I can't remember anything and no one will tell me and everything is just so _stupid_!"

"If it helps," Huey added, "I don't really know either. I didn't stay for the whole party; I missed the big finale."

"It doesn't," Jazmine mumbled, sniffling pathetically, "But at least that tells me why you're the only _fucking_ person talking to me."

There was an uneasy pause where Riley crossed through the hallway to grab something from the kitchen, did a double take after spying Jazmine, and glared with a scowl enough to match Huey's.

"_What_ da _fuck_ is dat _bitch_ doin' here?!"

"Don't call her that!" Huey blurted out before he could restrain himself, but luckily Riley didn't seem to notice, or he just ignored his brother's response as he stormed over to the incredibly intimidated Jazmine and glowered down at her.

"You's a fuckin' _bitch_, you know dat? Yo ass got some motherfuckin' _nerve_."

And with that, he flung himself from the house, slamming the door in his wake. Jazmine looked ready to burst with a fresh peal of tears, the last thing Huey needed at that moment, and he struggled to try and calm her down.

"_See_?! _**See**_?! He hates me and I don't even know what I did!"

She was close to screaming, and Huey really didn't need her doing that with his granddad lurking upstairs, and so he steered her into the living room, plonking her gently onto the sofa beside him, hoping if she did cry again, she'd wipe her face with a cushion and not his clothes.

"He's pissed off with you because you brought drugs to your party, dealt them, planted them on him and then called the Cops."

The words had fallen quite easily from his tongue, and though that happened to be Riley's side of the story and not his own, he was hoping that he'd be able to wake up a hidden memory within the distraught girl beside him. Jazmine, however, looked just as perplexed as she had done before, squinting almost as she struggled to remember (an expression that really didn't help her blotchy face).

"I don't know if I remember that. It seems a pretty stupid thing to do though; why would I bring drugs to my own party and then plant them on _Riley_? It's not like I don't like him."

Huey shrugged, leaning back against the settee and wondering if having Jazmine over was just going to be a waste of time, and then remembering that his tofu was still beckoning him in the kitchen, and he really was _hungry_. But Jazmine was oblivious, of course, and continued with her rather one-sided conversation,

"But what I really want to know, apart from what I did to make everyone else hate me, is what we did, you know. That night."

She was staring right at him, and Huey was forced to glance elsewhere, not able to meet her gaze. Confessing to a drunk, drowsy Jazmine was one thing. A sober, thoughtful Jazmine was another.

"It was nothing important," Lying was becoming so easy nowadays, "It doesn't matter."

"I remember telling you that you weren't invited," Jazmine mumbled, eyebrows furrowing as she began to think back, "Actually, I think I can remember some of it. Weren't we sitting on the stairs in my house? And you said something pretty fast and just, left…?"

Huey nodded numbly, feeling sick to the pit of his stomach. What was he going to do if she remembered what he had told her? He could tell her she was imagining things, that she heard him wrong, that the alcohol had messed up her head? This wasn't how he had pictured her finding out, but, then again, he doubted he'd ever imagined her figuring out his feelings anyway.

"I think I remember what you were talking about," Jazmine was only inches away from him, her face level with his own as he slumped and she sat up straight, alert with concentration, "You said something about having no chance? About Caesar being your best friend…"

_She's going to figure it out any second now_, Huey thought to himself, struggling not to panic, _you've got to do something. Stop her from talking. Anything._

He was watching her lips move and yet hearing no sound, paying attention to nothing but his own thoughts, his own worries. Her fingers were clenching ad unclenching in her lap, nails still painted from her party, the edges chipped. Every now and then, she patted her hair uncomfortably, as though hoping this movement would tame the bird's nest, glittering jade eyes locked onto his own. Even in her pyjamas, with her hair matted and face blotchy, she still looked beautiful, which worried Huey for a moment as he considered the possibility of needing glasses. But no. for whatever reason, whatever…_thing_, that was making him feel this way, he found that no matter how run-down Jazmine looked, he still found her gorgeous.

Which could only mean one thing.

"And then you said, you said you really like-"

But there was never a chance to find out what Jazmine thought Huey had really liked, because his lips were on hers, her lips were on his, and he couldn't quite believe what he was doing, while she couldn't believe how something like this felt so _right_. How had she gone from hating somebody to, well, _this_, in a matter of days? Though, she realised, perhaps she had never hated him at all, and if so, what did that make them? What did this mean? And then she realised she was over-thinking the situation, and decided to stop at once, because what did it matter? She liked Huey and, clearly, he liked her, and it was simple.

_Right_?

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><p>Woooo. I am so tiredX) it's almost midnight here, but I got this out for you guys! Oh, I'm too good to you..:P Haha, I'm so sorry for taking, what, nearly three weeks? I had major writer's block with this but…I reckon I've got over it nowX)<p>

A little Huey POV for you, I hope you liked it! (_oh, Huey3…X)) _I had a different idea for this chapter ending, but…haha, it played out by itself, so:P I tell you, these stories have minds of their own..X) so really, if you liked it, _please_ _review_! I appreciate every single one, and they mean so much to me. If I don't get them, I don't know to continue! So please, _please review_ me, _gorgeous_ people! _I love you all!3 _


	8. Aftershock

Heyy guysss!:) Look who finally made it back!X) I'm sorry there's such a gap between these updates; I'm such a busy person it's unbelievable:/ school's started again so I'm busy with that and my friends and other stories that are non-boondocks..so..yeah^^; busy busy busy…review timeee:D

Taydo-the-potato: I'm sorry I took so long._. I know right?! Haha endings can be funny like that:P

iAnneart01: aww thank you hunnie!:D here you go:3

Jazavelli: Same man:/ Hmm. I wonder..;) Let's all hug Huey!:( He needs more LOVE:D WOOOO against the worldddddX) haha thank you so much for your reviewww dearie!:D (and I loved your story, felt I ought to tell you again;)

BananaMilkshake97: haha I'm glad someone isX) thank you!

MaiXii: yeahh not quiteX) Who knows?:P Let's hope so, thanks for the review!

Paige1292: WOOP:D I don't blame you man:P Curiouser and curiouser….:P Haha I know man…suspense is my middle nameX)) (omg I can't believe I said that..) You BET she can't deny it now!:D Let's hope thye don't, man:/ Brothers gotta stick togetherX) Thank you so much!:D

Kendrickthemorningstar: Never read wiser words:) Thank you!:D

KingxLeon21: At least I got your attention:D thanks man:)

MissG2020: Who knows man?:P Thanks for the review!

2000msluna: Thank you:) Who knows?!

Artist1897: haha thanks:P

Crazzedfairee21: AWW thank you hunnie! I'm trying my best for you all!

.xox: thanks a bunch:)

Thank you all so much for the reviews!:D I LOVE YOU ALL. I just need to make a point clear though; I am not from the ghetto. I don't know anyone from the ghetto. I had not heard anyone speak like they do on the Boondocks before I watched the show, and I didn't even know what it was before I watched the show. I have mentioned before that the language is something I struggle with, so if I get things wrong…you'll have to be patient with me:) I've been writing the past 3 chapters without watching the show, so I was rusty.

Moving onn….STORY TIMEEE:D

Reminiscence-Chapter Six

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><p><em>January 9<em>_th__ 2013_

_Today, Huey had decided, was going to be a pretty damn good day. His brother was out, his grandfather was busying himself elsewhere, and he had the whole world to himself. It was just going to be him, his book, the hill and the universe, the gleaming sun and chirruping birds sailing overhead. His slight back was resting gently against the gnarled trunk of the tree, its body straining with the weight of its leaves that left dapped patched of light onto the teenager's skin. The breeze was slight, so slight, it was barely discernable, the wind nudging playfully at his coils of hair._

_Being thirteen, the eldest Freeman rather decided that now, it was time to put childish things away and grow up, even though he knew he was more mature for his age anyway. It was good to have aspirations. His legs were drawn up to his chest and he fingered the fraying rip on the right knee carelessly, maroon eyes glued to the well-thumbed pages of his yellowing book. It was his oldest, and most treasured, martial arts guide, and he had studied it so many times that he knew whole sections of it off by heart, soaking the information up like a sponge. He believed, however, that it was good to revisit things, to perfect the information to the extent that he would never go wrong. _

_Well. It had been working so far._

_Sighing contentedly, Huey flipped through the paper and craned over the book, determined to absorb every possible nugget of information he could. He managed to spend a whole, blissful afternoon there all by himself, with no Jazmine or Riley coming to bug him (Caesar didn't annoy him; at least he understood the definition of personal space). By five thirty, however, he decided that enough was enough, and he'd better get home soon or his brother and grandfather would start (and finish) dinner without him. _

_When Huey entered his home in Woodcrest that winter evening, he knew something was wrong. The lights were still out, though it was pretty dark outside and his grandfather at least, should have been home for hours. Kicking off his shoes, book tucked under one arm, the young revolutionary began his detective work about the house. Nowhere on he downstairs floor had been touched; the television was off, the fridge was full, absolutely nothing would have been moved. It was possible, of course, that his granddad had not returned home, instead spending the night out with his latest of many girlfriends. But only a possibility, as his grandfather's shoes were lingering at the bottom of the stairs._

"_Granddad?" Huey called up to the second floor, one socked foot brushing the first step, "Hey, Granddad! Where are you?!"_

_When no reply came, the teenage boy frowned a little (more than usual), almost certain that his grandfather would have at least called back down to tell him to "shut the hell up". And so, continuing with his spy work, Huey padded up the carpeted stairs, ears straining for any sign of life among the rooms. There was no one in the guest room, nor the bathrooms, not even his bedroom, and when he finally came across his grandfather's room, he found that the door had been firmly locked._

"_Granddad?! You in here?"_

_He twisted and strained, rattled and punched but no matter how hard he tried, Huey could not force the lock open. Seeing no other choice, and struggling to push down a rising sense of panic, the Chicagoan placed his book tenderly down on his own duvet, before charging at the door and slamming into it with all the strength he could muster. The wooden slab broke seamlessly from hits hinges, dropping to the ground with a thud as Huey waded through the fine mist of dust, coughing. He could just make out a shape near the bed and, wafting the blurred substance away, he strained to judge the character through the smoke._

"_Granddad? Is that you?"_

_The figure never replied. Cautiously, Huey stepped further into the room and tripped over what turned out to be his grandfather's leg. Raising his head slowly and praying for the best, the teenage boy paused a moment to take in the motionless frame of Robert Freeman that he had stumbled over, his breathing husky and ragged. The lurch of panic was seizing in his chest, and it took all his courage to haul himself up and glance at the blood trickling from both the table edge and his grandfather's head. He could see the old man's chest heaving slightly, and wave after wave of relief washed through him, until he snapped back to his senses and flew downstairs._

_Huey had only ridden in an ambulance once before, and had vowed never to do so again, because nothing good could ever come of going to a Hospital. His scowl was deep set and sullen as he ignored the warm words emanating from the Paramedic beside him, dark eyes glued to his grandfather. He felt almost angry at the man for being sick; angry at the world for making his grandfather sick, and angry at himself for not deciding to stay home that day. He was helpless; for the first time, he was lost for words and couldn't think of anything better to do than stare at his granddad and will him, urge him to wake up and set things right._

_Huey knew a lot about strokes. He knew the symptoms and the signs and what to do if they occurred, but the after effects were something of a grey area. Which meant that, inevitably, he had to learn the hard way. Over the next few months, he was forced to watch on as his grandfather struggled with even the smallest of things, forced to somehow, suddenly, be the man of the house._

_He was a kid in an adult situation, and didn't know how he was going to keep going. When he said he wanted to put childish things away and become more mature, this wasn't how he'd pictured it._

* * *

><p>Present Day<p>

"The fuck is this shit, nigga?!"

It was a bad day. Huey Freeman, eighteen and used to his exhausting existence, was cooking dinner. It was vegetarian lasagne, and personally he was quite proud of his attempt. Unfortunately, Riley, his carnivorous and generally frustrating younger brother, was less than impressed at the lack of pork (or meat in general, really).

"Dinner."

"I know dat, I ain't thick! What I mean, is why the fuck is you tryin' to poison me?! I'm your own flesh and blood, nigga! I thought yo ass was better'n dis!"

"It's lasagna, Riley," Huey stated flatly, serving up a generous portion for his grandfather, though he knew he wouldn't even touch it, "It's good for you. The vegetables in it have been considered to significantly-"

"Aight, aight, I ain't askin' for no lecture! All I sayin', is dat it look worse dan Mrs. Dubois' throw up. And dat shit was fucked up, nigga." Riley poked his dinner with the tip of his fork suspiciously, and Huey struggled not to throw the cooking dish at his brother's head.

"If you hate my cooking so much, why don't you make your own food?"

"'Cos I'm a real nigga, you feel me? Real niggas ain't cuttin' up carrots n' shit. We got bigger shit tah do."

"Like what, exactly?" Huey slid the plate onto a tray and raised an eyebrow at his younger brother as he headed towards the stairs.

"Just shit, nigga. Man, why's you such a bitch all da time, Huey? Why can't a nigga make a normal meal for once, 'stead of this gay ass _lasagne_?"

Huey's frown furrowed even further as he began to pad up to his grandfather's room, eyes locked onto the balanced tray before him.

"It's all you're getting. I don't care if you starve; less people to cook for."

There was a pause, in which Huey reached the top of the stairs and began to think he was victorious, until,

"Gay ass nigga."

He still won.

* * *

><p>Today was definitely one of Robert Freeman's bad days. In fact, bad didn't even cover it; complete and utter <em>shit<em> was the term that would pretty much sum it up. His brain and his body were on completely opposing sides; he was desperate to get up and walk around, to run in the park or, hell, just go downstairs. But no, apparently this was too much for his mind, that had confined him to the bed for, what he hoped, would only be one day. At least he could move his arms to chat to cutie pies on Myspace.

"Hey, Granddad."

It was at this point that Huey entered the room, tray of dinner in his arms as he made his way towards the bed. Robert frowned a little at the meal on offer; that was another reason to be able to move his legs properly, so he could go into the kitchen and cook a _real_ goddamn meal.

"I ain't hungry, Boy."

"Granddad," Huey looked exasperated, dumping the tray atop the duvet alongside his grandfather's laptop, "You haven't eaten all day. You _gotta_ be hungry."

Robert fiddled with the lasagne momentarily, his nose turning up at the sight of vegetables replacing meat, and he sniffed contemptuously.

"Well, whatever," Huey stood up and turned to leave the room, shrugging, "'least I tried."

* * *

><p>Sometimes, Huey would look into the bathroom mirror and wonder who the stranger was, staring back at him. Of all things, this wasn't exactly how he had pictured being eighteen. He had hoped that, by this age, his political career would be rocketing skywards with every new day. Not caring for his elderly grandfather and lazy brother, wallowing in self-pity and kissing his best friend's girlfriend. Ugh. He rested his head against the cool surface of the mirror, his deep eyes closed as he sighed. And he was supposed to be the rational one.<p>

Ok, so he would admit it. The kiss had been…fantastic. He hadn't just done it to screw around with Jazmine's head, either; he genuinely liked her. Maybe, after all this time, even loved her…(though he didn't want to finalise things). He wasn't quite sure where that had put him; when the kiss had ended, Jazmine had immediately left, and he hadn't seen her since. What was he meant to do now? Was he meant to talk to her or something? Though he couldn't understand their relationship; Caesar still used him as an Agony Aunt, and the fact that he was going behind his best friend's back was what, probably, made him the most guilty.

Huey sighed again. Why were things so complicated? Or, more frankly, why had he made things so complicated? He dared to glance again at himself in the mirror; the sight of his skinny, weak body made him want to throw something out of a window (though he probably wouldn't be able to). It was times like these that he missed his martial arts more than anything; he had found a perfect place to practice them when he was thirteen, but now he couldn't bear to go out of the house for too long, for his grandfather's sake. Hell, he could only just manage to force himself to school; he knew that if anything ever happened to his granddad because he had been too busy being selfish with his own priorities, well. He'd never forgive himself.

In general, though, Huey's health was deteriorating pretty rapidly. Despite the lack of martial arts to keep him fit, the stress of trying to juggle school, his job, the house and his grandfather, was finally taking its toll. There were permanent shadows beneath his eyes from lack of sleep, and he was only skin and bones beneath his cloths, all of which were far too large from, he noticed, his sudden weight drop. It was like being on a see-saw; the healthier and higher he tried to make his grandfather, the sicker and lower he seemed to fall, until one day, he wondered if there would be anything left.

Why on earth would Jazmine want to kiss anyone who looked like him?

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Huey sighed once more before leaving the bathroom, past his jackass brother who had been hammering on the door for the past ten minutes, and onto his bed. It was probably best that he had an early night.

* * *

><p>"<em>Yeah! Ya'll heard me! Ya'll a bunch of lazy, motherfuckin' retards! I don't care ab…'bout any o' you! I just nvited ya'll here for the presents-nah, nah? Gerrof me, fucker! You're the one…the one I hate the most-know why?! Ya'll pathetic! I only used ya'll to get to the top! 'specially you. An' now I am. I don't need any o' you; if you…you were all rottin' in a hole…I'd come piss on it! Party on, bitches!"<em>

Oh. Dear. God.

A video of her accusations had finally made it's way onto Facebook, just as she was coming to accept her new life as Jazmine; the loner. The lighting was dim, the spinning figures just made out by the indigo and violet spotlights, but her voice was clear as any above the rest, despite the awful mobile-phone recording. Had she really said that? Of course she had; but she had been drunk. Obviously, surely people had to make an exception for that? It didn't seem that bad in her eyes, for one thing she couldn't even remember saying it, but having everyone hate her for just that?

It couldn't be everything, right?

Sighing, Jazmine logged off the internet (she ignored the 358 likes on the comment "where's the dislike button?") and chose to collapse down on her bed. It was, officially, a week since her birthday party. This time, seven whole days ago, she had been the most popular, admired girl in the entire school. How far she had come. She had had an adoring boyfriend, a group of close friends and hundreds of followers, loving parents. Everything. And now? Her boyfriend hated her, he friends and lovers had abandoned her, her mother was hardly around anymore, and she had kissed the boy she hated with more passion than she had ever kissed before.

Something couldn't be right there.

The kiss from Huey had come the night before, when she had been in a complete and utter mess because her mother hadn't returned home in over twenty four hours. Jazmine couldn't bear to think about how she must have looked; mascara stained cheeks, puffy red eyes and frizzy, ugly hair. Ugh. Why would Huey Freeman want to kiss anyone who looked like her?

Rolling onto her side, her emerald eyes skirted about the bedroom before falling on the window that filled the majority of one wall. It was raining outside, the sky poisoned by grey clouds, the heavens crying. The fierce wind was forcing the trees into a turbulent dance, their leaves ripped from their branches and tossed into the world, alone. From this window, she could look directly into the house alongside, which just so happened to belong to the Freemans. Even more coincidental, perhaps, was the face that the room she gazed into, was none other than Huey Freeman's bedroom.

The young revolutionary was lying flat out on his back, arms tucked neatly behind his head as he seemed to stare at the ceiling, apparently in deep thought. She wondered what he was pondering, hoping for one fleeting moment that it would be about her, and then quickly changing track when she realised how childish she sounded. Raking a slim hand through her light cinnamon curls, Jazmine watched the boy-next-door intently, curious as to what he was doing in his bedroom alone at half past eight on a Friday evening. Then, she noticed, she was doing the exact same thing, and felt a little foolish.

The Chicagoan rolled onto his side, matching her moves in every way, and she knew before it happened, what would occur next. Without taking her eyes from him, the mulatto stared as Huey steadily turned to look straight back at her. Emerald met maroon, and though Jazmine could feel herself blushing copiously, she couldn't quite dare to glance away. Almost as though she didn't want to.

The two teenagers watched one another for a while, as though having some unspoken conversation between them, before shifting around simultaneously, Jazmine to her left and Huey, to his right. Neither was quite sure of what was going to happen the next day, but at least they had the comfort of knowing that there was one person, in the whole wide world, who could understand how their universe worked.

And sometimes, that was all that mattered.

* * *

><p>Shorter than usual, guys. I'm sorry: I wanted to get something up for you; I almost did this as a two-parter, so be glad you're getting the whole thing! I really hope you enjoyed this:) If you did, please review me to say why! And if you didn't….please review me so I can get better!:D I appreciate it so much; I love you gorgeous guys!3


	9. Trick or Treat

I'm sorry I've taken so long guys. HELLO:D I finally managed to churn this out for you-I always feel so guilty leaving it too long…:/ But I hope you enjoy reading this, and if you do, please review!:D If you don't….please review anyway!:D

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><p><strong>Taydo-the-potato<strong>: haha, I really hope this satisfies you for a little longer then!:D

**StanMarchxKyleBrowflowskiLuv ** : Woooowww you have a long name;) here you are!:D

**DaeImaginaes**: AWWW thank you so much hunnie!3 Sorry about your gran:( But I'mglad I got Huey's scenario right:) Omg, I know right?-_- Riley:/:PLet's hope so!:D

**Bunnybabe247**: thanks:D

**Missnatasha**: aww thank you!:D (did you review twice? Thanks for them both though!:D)

**Bananamilkshake97**: yeah I know:/ they're gonna have to learn the hard way…thanks:D

**Paige1292**: me too man:( poor baby:'( *hugs Huey * exactly girl:/ haha I was worried about that being a bit cheesy, I'm glad you liked it!:D yeah, they better:/ THANK YOUUUU:D3

**MissG2020**: glad you liked it man!:D thanks so much for the review:)

**Awesomeboy271**: you bet it isX) thank you!:D

**Jazavelli**: let's hope they get some rainbows soon:) poor guys:/ I'm totally abusing them^^; there'll be a school scene soon! THANK YOU SO MUCH HUNNIE!3:)

**Crazzedfairee21**: thank you!:)

**Boyluvr250**: haha I do that^^; thanks for reviewing though!:) I wonder?

**Lamard**: right now dudeX) thank you:D

**ChiChi-O**: let's all hug him together!:D it's cool man, it's cool! I don't mind-you still reviewed now and that's all that matters!:D thank you so much!3

**Janiyah**: exactly man:/ very messed up-thank you so much!:)

**2000msluna**: maybe:) no problem man! I'm very busy so I don't have a lot of time to write long onesX)

Thank you all so much for the reviews! I appreciate them so, so much3 Love you all, and enjoy the next chapter!:D

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: I obviously, don't own the Boondocks. But owning Huey would be very lovely indeedX)))

* * *

><p><span>Trick or Treat<span>

* * *

><p>"I just think that we were so good together, and if we just give it another try-"<p>

"Forget it, Jazmine. We're over. Forvever."

The gradual warmth of Spring had finally arrived, and the two teenagers were fizzing through the crowded streets of that watercolour afternoon, not a smiling face in sight. Caesar was striding along the cracked pavements determinedly, his shaggy dreadlocks tugged back into a touseled ponytail as he headed towards the record shop, hands buried deep in his pockets and a scowl to match Huey Freeman's. Jazmine was scurrying alongside him, pleading desperately amongst the plantitive cries of "Excuse me!" and "Sorry…sorry!" as she wheeled her bicycle clumsily into the passers by, more bothered by her attempts to rekindle any faith in her ex-boyfriend.

"Caesar," she pulled out sharply before him, blocking his path and only enraging him further, "I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean any of those things; I was drunk, come on! Everyone says stupid things when they're drunk-I remember once you got so pissed you kissed Ril-"

"That has nothing to do with it, Jazmine," Caesar tried to push past her and failed miserably, "a drunk man speaks a sober heart. You only used me to make yourself look better, admit it."

"Only at the start!" With an aggravated sigh, the teenage boy pushed past and Jazmine struggled to climb out of the hole she was digging, "but I changed, Caesar! I didn't mean to hurt you, I promise!"

"Your promises mean nothing to me, Jazmine, nothing," Caesar shoved her to one side roughly, "I really loved you, you know that? I really thought we had something good together. Guess I was wrong."

"We still can!" The mulatto struggled to keep up with the dreadlocked boy, her voice rising in octaves, "We can fix this, Caesar, I swear!"

"Just piss off, Jazmine."

With this last, eloquently phrased statement, Caesar turned his back to the desperate girl and stormed inside the music shop. Jazmine, absolutely positive she wouldn't give up, chained her cherry-red bicycle to the rack outside and hurried after the dreadlocked teenager.

A bell tinkled merrily as she stepped across the threshold, and Jazmine soon realised that she'd never actually been inside this shop before; in fact, had she been the Jazmine from two weeks prior. She'd probably have avoided the store at all costs. Despite the lavish amount of windows from the corner placement, the interior of _The Music Shack_ was incredibly bleak and dingy. Dust swirled in great clumps through the strained amber lights that swung from the ceiling, like giant, grimy light bulbs, casting the only warmth throughout. Collections of vinyl were clustered in rugged cardboard boxes, labeled alphabetically in familiar handwriting, the black marker pen fading slightly.

Cassettes lined the walls everywhere that vinyl didn't, heaped and stacked on mismatched shelves, great rows lining the skirting boards, filling every nook and cranny that seemed physically possible. In the furthest, shadiest corner were a couple of ripped shoeboxes marked "_CDs_" in the same, skinny scrawl. The only corner not suffocated with music was one at the far left, which held solely a bent counter, a brand new till that stood out like a sore thumb in the stubbornly retro store, and yet another cardboard box, a little neater than the others, that seemed to be bursting with piles of neatly arranged books. The handwriting reappeared here, defiantly larger than before as each side proclaimed "_Not for sale!"_

Beside this stood Caesar, his lean, muscular frame hunched over as he leant on the worktop, talking avidly to the tall, skinny teenager behind the counter who, Jazmine realised to her horror, was none other than Huey Freeman.

"She actually followed me down the street, man!" Caesar complained loudly to his best friend, completely unaware of Jazmine's presence, "Begging me to take her back and all that crap. I'm done with it, I've decided I just gotta give up on her and move on."

"That's probably for the best," Huey flicked through a paperback lazily, "statistically, you were going to break up anyway. High-school relationships usually only last two months on average; optimistically speaking, you did pretty damn well."

"Thanks man," Caesar sighed heavily, his chin now plonked on his arms, "that made me feel way better."

Noticing that they weren't the only two people in the room, Huey glanced up from his novel to stare straight into the eyes of Jazmine Dubois. He hadn't seen or spoken to her in over a week and, _damn_, he was really missing out. The mulatto had her wild cinnamon curls tamed slightly, pulled taught into a messy bun with a few coils here and there, looking far better than the night they had kis- last seen each other. Her curvy yet slender frame was draped in a short, casual flower-print dress, feet matching in plain, pale Converses, and she was shooting mental daggers at his best friend.

He wanted to kiss her again.

"You know Jazmine's right behind you, don't you Caez?"

Caesar whipped around and glared at the mulatto who seemed adamant to remain fixed to the spot, and so not bothering to contend with her any longer, forced his way past and left the shop, rage plastered across his face.

Huey and Jazmine were alone.

"He's really not in the best mood to see you now, you know."

"Way to state the obvious," Jazmine approached the counter cautiously, not sure how things between her and the eldest Freeman brother were supposed to be anymore.

There was an awkward state of silence, in which Huey simply chose to carry on with his book and Jazmine tapped her fingers irritably on the wooden surface, wiping the dust off on the hem of her dress before urging herself to break the quiet,

"Huey, I think we need to talk."

"We're talking right now, Jazmine," Still his eyes didn't leave the page.

"You know what I mean, Huey," her voice dropped to a whisper and she glanced around furtively, even though she knew they were alone, "about the kiss."

"What is there to say about it?" Huey frowned into the pages, "I kissed you, you kissed me back, it just happened. Nothing more to say."

He wished there was.

"But we can't walk around like it never happened," Jazmine scowled slightly, resting her elbows on the counter, "what happens now?"

"I don't know," The Chicagoan looked up finally from his book to stare the girl down, maroon boring into emerald, "we should probably just carry on as normal."

"I don't know what normal is anymore, Huey," Jazmine sighed, looking defeated as she sank onto the worktop, not noticing Huey's expression as he realised that things hadn't been normal for a very, very long time.

"Why did you kiss me, Jazmine?"

The question had come out of nowhere, and the mulatto stared aghast at the teenage boy, unsure how to answer,

"You kissed me first, Huey."

There was an awkward pause, neither quite sure where to look or what to do next, until Huey simply stated,

"Yes."

"But why?" Jazmine's temper flared up as she pushed her previously limp form from the counter, startling Huey enough to make him close his book, "you never showed any interest in me ever, Huey, not _ever_!"

"Maybe I did, but you just didn't see it, Jazmine," his tone was ice cold and bitter, as though years of resent were echoing through his words, "you couldn't see anything past yourself."

Jazmine opened her mouth to retaliate, only to think that, _what was the point_? Huey was right. Huey was always right. She had been so conceited and selfish, that had barely recognised anyone's needs other than her own. She had been so high up in her imaginary world, that she hadn't noticed her parents' relationship dissolve right beneath her nose; what kind of a person did that make her? She had spent so many years so completely deluded, she was surprised that people had stuck by her side even before she denounced them all.

"You're right, Huey."

Huey stared at her in almost surprise. _Almost_. Huey Freeman was not one to be easily surprised.

"You're totally right," Jazmine continued, unable to stop the words from flowing once she began, "I've been selfish and rude to everyone, but especially you. Everyone's figured out what I'm like, and you've known from the beginning, so if I can't have their forgiveness, can I at least have yours?"

Huey didn't reply. He couldn't even look at her. Instead, he merely closed his book and slipped it into his back pocket, moving the cardboard box of novels from the counter to a small cupboard at the back, ignoring the mulatto entirely as he began to close up the store. The till was locked (though, judging by the music they sold, Jazmine could decided they probably didn't have much to hide away) and the front doors clammed shut as Huey made his way from the far exit, scowling.

"Why're you locking up already? It's only the afternoon."

The Chicagoan blanked her, heading towards old truck that was parked in what could _just_ pass as a parking space, lined up between two skips. The pale paint was faded and peeling, some areas so damaged that a thick rust had built up, and the once gleaming wing mirrors had dulled to a metallic grey. Huey clambered up into the driver's seat and began to fiddle with the overhead mirror whilst forcing the key in roughly, frustrated by the lack of response as the engine jarred over and over again. Eventually, he managed to get it running (though weakly) and just as he was about to close the door, he glanced over at Jazmine as though he hadn't noticed she had been staring the whole time,

"You need a ride?"

"Erm," she was taken aback; he'd been snapping at her only a few moments ago, and now it seemed the argument was completely forgotten from the teenager's head, "no. I don't think so. I've got my bike…"

Honestly, she wanted a ride back with Huey. Desperately. She wanted to know things; what Caesar had been telling him, what she did at the party and, maybe most importantly, why on earth he had kissed her. Somehow, he seemed to recognize her hopes (or maybe he was just chivalrous) as the Chicagoan hopped out of the car once again, locking the door as he went, and made his way to the front of the aged shop, Jazmine at his heels. They had to pass several brimming skips on their way, and she had to keep skimming to one side incase some jagged object jumped out at her; Huey appeared to have no trouble, as if chuntering down back alleys was something he did every day (maybe it was).

As they reached the exit and spilled onto the main street, still humming with life, Huey halted suddenly in his tracks and Jazmine, more conscious of the shards of glass, walked right into him.

"Sorry, but wh-"

"Jazmine, is _that_ your bike?"

Huey interrupted the mulatto to point at the mangled debris of a cherry red bicycle, still chained to the rack as it had been a while previously. Horrified, Jazmine scurried forwards to unhook the vehicle, holding it tenderly between her fingers as though it had been some live creature, but surprisingly managed not to cry. Which would be a first. Huey, frankly, found it all rather childish; who would bother screwing up a _bike_? Seriously. For a very, _very_ brief second, he wondered if one of Jazmine's "_friends_" had paid her the honour, but he was pretty sure they weren't _that_ immature. He knew Jazmine had said and done some stupid things, but if this was a response, it was plain idiocy; they were in a strange area, he would just have to assume it was totally unrelated.

The two teenagers spent the next few minutes loading the battered pieces into the rear of Huey's truck, with Huey silent and Jazmine muttering repeatedly _"my dad is gonna kill me". _With all the fragments laid out in such a manner, all the boy could think was _"good thing she didn't bring her new car"._ There could have been a small chance to fix it, but only very small. It would only take up more of his dwindling time.

"Can you do anything to fix it?"

He had shoved a staggering pile of books off the passenger seat when he remembered that Jazmine was riding back with him, and she was just climbing inside as he slammed his door shut. The black leather seats were in remarkably good condition compared to the truck's exterior (though, to be honest, anything would) and the whole of the interior lingered with a musky scent of pine. The glove compartment was bursting with cassettes, as Jazmine found out once it sprang open as they turned a corner ("it does that"), and though she recognised none of the artists, the silence between the two was unbearable, and she shoved one into the tape player.

"Maybe."

"What?" she had momentarily forgotten about her beyond-repair bicycle, settling easily into the warmth of the rickety truck, "oh. Well, thanks."

"It's a Sunday," Jazmine stared at Huey again until he rolled his eyes, wondering why no one could keep up with him, "you asked me why I closed. We close early afternoons on Sundays."

"What about my other question?"

"Which one?" He had conveniently forgotten.

"Will you forgive me?" Jazmine stared at him imploringly, and Huey met her gaze for a fraction of a moment before turning away, his maroon eyes glued back on the road,

"I don't know."

"_I forgave you."_

_October 31__st__ 2014_

_It was just a simple Halloween party. Adjoining Timid Deer lane was Gentle Brook close, and both streets were lit up with the foreboding candles in the leering pumpkins, a fierce orange glow breaking the deep indigo of the night. The roads were teeming with parents and children alike, front doors ajar with smiling faces as teeth-rotting sweets were handed out by the bucketful. A bunch of teenage oddities stuck out like a sore thumb, not bothering with Trick or Treating as they headed down the streets, heading towards the largest house near the rear of Gentle Brook close, the music pumping so loud that the entire neighbourhood vibrated with the rhythms. _

_Huey had not wanted to go. At all. He could see nothing more childish than a dress up party, especially on Halloween, of all times. It was just yet another way for the supermarkets to dish out piles of extortionately priced sweets, the shops fit to burst with pumpkins and witches hats months in advance. The sooner he left America, the better; the ignorance was unbearable._

_The only reason he was really going to the ridiculous party, was because he couldn't find much better to do…and Jazmine and Caesar had begged him until he felt like slamming their heads together. At least they hadn't made him dress up; Jazmine was, he supposed, a cat, with fluffy ears on a headband, a thick stripey jumper and a skirt that was slightly too small, tufty tail pinned to the back. Caesar was going as some kind of dreadlocked Frankenstein, though kept forgetting that his face was covered with green paint, and so leaving himself with a green everything, including Huey's shirt that he had grabbed with his fluorescent hands._

_Huey didn't have a clue what Riley was supposed to be. His idea had been to mummify him so at least he wouldn't have to listen to his brother's ignorance all evening, but Cindy, who had eagerly dipped herself in ketchup and food colouring, protested under the facts that she wouldn't be able to kiss him with toilet roll over his mouth. Huey had actually been thinking of duct tape. Either way, his younger brother was swaggering along, nicking sweets out of kids' cauldrons when Cindy distracted them, and had mirroring blood patterns to his girlfriend, presumably from when they kept snogging. Huey wondered why he was even bothering to think it over._

_The party itself was being held by a Kevin McFarlane, who was easily the richest kid in school, and everyone knew it. His house…no, mansion, was at least four storeys high, not including the basement and attic, and came complete with balconies, ornate pillars, and fountains containing statues of the recent family members. He was always boasting that his father was going to have one of him made, though so far, this didn't seem to be happening. Riley had helpfully added that the water could spout out of Kevin's marble mouth like he was throwing up, to go with his constant vomiting of lies and arrogance. Kevin didn't reply._

_Pushing past the couple snogging on the lavish front steps, having already made their way past the pumpkin lined driveway that stretched on for miles, surrounded by giant pumpkins spewing rainbow concoctions that smelt strongly of burning rubber, the group entered the house and immediately split up. Riley and Cindy vanished onto the dancefloor that seemed to take up the majority of the ground floor, Caesar following in his attempt to find the DJ, leaving Huey and Jazmine together, alone amongst the crowd. This happened to them a lot at the time, as though their friends were trying to leave some kind of hint, though what, Huey couldn't perceive._

"_**So, what now?"**__ Huey looked over at Jazmine, who was eyeing the dancefloor with its illuminating lights eagerly._

"_**Let's go dance!"**_

"_**Er, no way," **__Huey shook his head, stepping back a little, "__**I don't dance."**_

"_**Fine, grumpy," **__Jazmine pulled a face and wandered away, "__**But you'll never make more friends if you don't join in, Huey!"**_

_Quite happy with that, under the impression that he had enough crazy friends already, Huey spent his time journeying though the house, in the mood to explore. He found ten bedrooms, nine of which were occupied and the last spilling with coats as he nudged the door open, at least eight bathrooms, not counting the ensuites, an expansive living area on each floor, two kitchens, six office-type rooms, three dining rooms, four conservatories, about twenty balconies, a rock-climbing wall in the garage and one, beautiful, divine, library. As he entered this last room warily, having stumbled across enough teenagers in all kinds of positions to make him ill that night, and he was sure his heart stopped in wonder; the circular room was filled from floor to ceiling with leather bound books in so many colours and sizes, a few lengthy windows at one end, with a sprinkling of plush sofas here and there. _

_It was so quiet, so peaceful, with only a hum of the surrounding raucous seeping under the door, and Huey climbed up the golden ladder to pick any book that might take his fancy, settling into heaven for the night._

_It was probably hours later that Huey realised, with a sinking heart, that he was out of the drinks he had snatched from the kitchen on his earlier adventure. Sighing and memorising the page number, the Chicagoan abandoned his book on the deep ruby velvet and slipped from the room, padding down into the nearest kitchen. Just as he was ducking into the fridge to find something either non-alcoholic or not tampered with, someone tapped his shoulder, and Huey spun around to find a very giggly and very drunk Jazmine DuBois beaming at him, her cat ears lopsided._

"_**Heyyyyyy, Hueyyy," **__she hiccupped and laughed, hand clasped tight to a cup of something unrecognizable, "__**yoush…should try diss. It's liiike…UH-mazing. Really…."**_

_She tried to force the cup of probably spiked punch into his hands, only to hit his chest and spatter his dark shirt with a few drops of the liquid,_

"_**Woopsie daisy! Ohh Jazmine'll getat out," **__she patted at his chest with a concentrated look on her face, unaware of Huey's embarrassment, "__**Sseee? Aldon…"**_

_In all honesty, all she had really done was smear the punch into his shirt a bit more, but Huey wasn't too bothered as he pushed her away gently, hoping to regain order,_

"_**Jazmine, you're drunk."**_

"_**Pshhhhhh, n'amnot."**_

"_**You really are, Jazmine," **__he tried to hook her arms around his shoulders, "__**I think you ought to come with me."**_

"_**No!" **__she prodded his chest, hard," __**No, igot…gotta stay here. Dancing."**_

"_**Where're the others?" **__Huey didn't know why he was asking a drunk person for serious information, "__**I don't think you should dance anymore tonight, Jazmine. Give me the drink."**_

"_**No!" **__Jazmine downed it all in one go out of his reach, trickles on her chin and cheeks__**, "Riyey…and Cin…Cindy…upstairsh. Caessssssh bean DJ…"**_

"_**That was childish," **__Huey tossed the cup into the sink as he frowned at Jazmine, the two managing to get into the hall, Jazmine leaning on the banister._

"_**Wha'everrrr," **__the mulatto moved to collapse onto the bottom step, groaning, her forehead resting on the railings, sweaty from dancing__**, "I'mma stay…here."**_

"_**No, Jazmine, really. Come upstairs, the library's a lot quieter and you'll feel b-"**_

"_**I don' carebou no library! I wanna dance more! I's neea drink…"**_

"_**Jazmine, the punch is spiked, you're not thinking stra-"**_

"_**Shuddup! You, you," **__Jazmine managed to pull herself to her feet as she pushed Huey, roughly, her body wavering feebly__**, "yous no boss o'me. I don' nee' you. I'mma doma…my…ownding! So…so thereee."**_

_Sick of being her babysitter, and knowing that their she would surely gravitate towards their other friends, Huey shrugged and turned away, heading towards the door,_

"_**Fine. Have a good time."**_

_Little did he know, that would be the last evening he would see His Jazmine for a very, very long time._

_Present Day_

Jazmine never outright told him what had happened that night, but he knew she blamed him. Which was ok, because he blamed himself too; he deserved it. Cindy had relayed the whole story to him after finding the mulatto girl tearful in the bedroom-turned-cloakroom, her cheek burning and skirt hem ripped. Turns out, Kevin had been "helping" the naïve girl down the spiked punch all evening, and managed to coax her upstairs after seeing Huey leave, knowing she was at her most vulnerable without his protection. Kevin didn't actually hurt her, not really; he had tried to feel her up, hence the torn skirt, and slapped her after she kicked him between his legs in a very un-Jazmine-like manner. Apparantly, he had recoiled at once, cursing her for a while, dropping a few rounds of "bitch," and "whore" here and there, before running when Cindy opened the door.

Huey knew for a fact, that if he had stayed, nothing would have happened to his best friend, and perhaps Jazmine would have stayed the sweet girl she was meant to be. Either way, there was no time to ponder over the past now, especially not when he pulled into his drive to find an Ambulance on the doorstep.

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><p>YAY:D MANAGED IT, FINALLY! Imma go sleep now-_- I really hope you liked this! Please, please review and tell me, or I won't know to continue!3 I love you all, gorgeous people:)<p> 


	10. Somewhere in Neverland

Hey there guys:) I'm sorry, yet again, for the delay; I'm so busy right now, it's crazy. Wow. But writing this chapter was…well. I didn't realise it was going to end up the way it did, but there you go…^^; I hope you guys don't get mad at me._.

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><p><strong>Bunnybabe247<strong>: probably bothX) thank you!

**Username**: aww, man, thank you so much- I loved your review! I'm so glad you liked my style, it means a lot:) THANK YOU!3

**MissG2020**: you bet she deserves it!:/hmm…I wonder?:P Maybe, maybe not…;) thanks for the review!

ShellieB: I'm glad you don't blame him:) It wasn't his fault really; only in his opinion:) thank you so much for the review, it means so much:)

**BananaMilkshake97**: (aka. The one with the epic name;)) you'll find outtttt;)

**VickytheRandomest**: thanks so much!:D (cool name btw;))

**Retrobution**: haha, I'm glad it makes sense dude;) she totally was, she was meant to be;) thank you!

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><p>Thank you all so much for the reviews, they keep me writing this story!:D I really hope you enjoy this chapter, and whether you do or don't, please, <em>please<em> drop a review to tell me your opinion:D Also, I'd love to see what you thought of my other story- Uncharted Territory. It's only the prologue, but I'd love to know what you think of it. OK:D STORY TIME:D

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: unfortunately, I don't own the boondocks…:'(

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><p><em>His head was pounding. He wasn't sure if it was the drinks, or when he fell over on the stairs, but either way, he felt like he was about to throw up. He wasn't fully sure what he was doing there, in fact…he couldn't remember anything at all. Who was he? Where was he? What was going on? He groaned, the headache peaking as his world spun sickeningly, a dizzying haze of strobe lights and grinding bodies. Sitting himself down on the bottom step, he picked at the rip in his jeans and surrendered to another wash of nausea, his fingertips clinging to the cream carpet. <em>

_The world came to a halt in one, horrendous shudder, and he knew he had to find a bathroom before he spewed his insides out onto the hallway. One hand clamped over his lips, the other gripping the polished banister like it was an oxygen supply, he clambered upstairs shakily, legs threatening to buckle with every step. The house was familiar, he knew, but he hadn't a clue as to where everything was. There were so many rooms, he was trapped in a never-ending maze. An Alice in Wonderland._

_Hoping for the best, he stumbled into the first room he came to, and soon wished he had knocked first. A boy, tall and lean with ruffled blonde hair and a chiseled face was lying, half-naked, on the king-sized bed, and thought staring at a guy for this long was so gay, he couldn't help but stare at the person _underneath_. The girl had lost her bra somewhere along the way, and it seemed her knickers were going the same way, but he wasn't even staring at her body. Just her face; because this girl, with guilty green eyes and luscious curls of cinnamon hair, was incredibly familiar. In fact, she looked just like Jazmine. But Jazmine was going out with Caesar, and that white guy was anyone but Caesar. _

_Jazmine wouldn't cheat on her boyfriend, would she?_

_But he didn't have much time to ponder on the subject, before he had thrown up all over the pink flowered carpet._

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><p><em>He was on the stairs again, this time at the top, sipping a cup of water that his brother had brought him only a few minutes earlier. <em>

"_**Why do you always do this to yourself, Riley?" **__the older boy seated himself beside his sibling, legs splayed out on the freshly-stained carpet "__**I'm not going to be able to look after you forever. You gotta grow the hell up."**_

_Riley. That was his name, it made so much sense. He said the word out loud a few times, allowing the syllables to roll over his tongue. Riley; that felt right. His brother, he was sure it was his brother, stared at him like was crazy and told him so, eyes rolling and scowl deepening. The sour taste of vomit lingered in his mouth, but he didn't care; he wanted more alcohol, again. Juddering to his feet, he padded sloppily down the stairs, laving his frustrated brother behind as he headed for the kitchen and, therefore, the drinks. _

_The kitchen was buzzing, the ground vibrating with the music and the bottles rattling on the worktops, their contents sloshing around the containers. He grabbed the nearest Jack Daniels and tipped the liquid down his throat, relishing as it burnt his insides and warmed his stomach. A girl approached him, a gorgeous, creamy-skinned slim girl with curves in all the right places, body slipped into a tight blue dress she had worn just for him. Her achingly long blonde hair cascaded down her back in the most elegant of curls, a few tendrils draped about her shoulders. Cindy, his girlfriend; he could never forget her._

"_**You wanna go upstairs, Reezy?"**_

_Her sapphire eyes lingered on his own and he grinned lazily, one arm slipping around her waist while the other helped to down the dregs of the vodka. _

"_**You bet I do, Babe."**_

_They started off kissing at first. She had wanted to use the pink room at first, but unable to process what might still be in there, he managed to guide her to a deserted guest room. He tossed the coats and bags carelessly from the bed, leaving them heaped against the door in case his brother came searching while Cindy teased him, whispering things into his ear that even he wouldn't repeat. It began fairly simply; kissing sweetly on the bed, until the kissing deepend, and then he was above her, and then…well. All he could say, was that it had been a pretty good evening. There was no way in hell he'd be able to forget that night._

"_**Ay, C-Murph?"**_

"_**Mhmm?"**_

_They lay in bed together for a while, naked and sweaty and satisfied, arms around each other. The sheets and quilts were wrapped snug about them, not for modesty but for the cool weather, and Cindy's golden head was on his chest, half-asleep. He had actually almost nodded off until he remembered the sight from earlier, and still woozy from booze and drunk on sex, he wondered aloud,_

"_**Why'd I find Jazzy and some white nigga in bed?"**_

"_**The fuck you mean?"**_

_He had her attention now, though he wasn't too bothered either way._

"_**I needed to find da bathroom, y'know, an' I walk in on Jazzy and some nigga almos' fuckin' in her bed."**_

"_**You sure, Reezy?"**_

"_**I know what I saw nigga!"**_

"_**So what did you do?"**_

_He paused__**. **_

"_**I puked."**_

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><p><em>It was almost one in the morning, and teenagers were still arriving at the house. He guessed there must have been at least three hundred people there, spilling from the grandeur home and onto the garden, the party seeming to be endless. He was in the living room, where the majorty of the people appeared to be, the crush of bodies suffocating amongst the smoke and stale air of alcohol, the music pounding his ears and shuddering right through him, vibrating along with the ground. The house was rocking, and as he waited for Cindy against the wall, a familiar boy with shaggy dreadlocks sidled towards him, grinning from ear to ear.<em>

"_**How great is this?!" **__He yelled into Riley's ear, making him wince and step back slightly in agony._

"_**S'alrigh'."**_

_He wasn't sure what made him say what he did next; he wasn't sure why he chose to ruin Caesar's happiness, Jazmine's relationship…Riley liked to think it was the alcohol talking._

"_**Jazzy's cheatin' on you, nigga."**_

_Caesar stared at him for a moment, his expression blank, completely lost for words. Riley found he had to fill the space,_

"_**I be goin' to puke, righ'? An' den, a nigga walk in her an' this white boy gettin' all…ya feel me?"**_

_His words slurred together and he took another swig of his drink, wondering why things sounded so much better in his head._

"_**You sure?" **__Caesar was staring straight at him, more serious than even Riley's brother, and he nodded, pointing out Jazmine in the crowd with his bottle,_

"_**I ain't lyin', nigga. Reezy knows what he saw, fo' sure."**_

_Caesar looked at him, hard, just for a moment, until he turned on his heel and walked cooly away, taking Jazmine by the arm as he went. Riley hovered for a while, wondering where Cindy was and why girls took so long to do anything. He was about to go and find himself another source of entertainment other than groping teenagers, when an argument broke out in the hallway, the voice of the girl too loud to be sober. Grinning, he ambled into the next room to join the gathering of teenagers when he noticed exactly who it was that was screaming on the stairs, and both his heart and face fell. _

"_**How could you do this to me, Jazmine?! You know how I feel about you! How could you-"**_

"_**Oh, shut up already**__!" Jazmine swaggered down a step, actions exaggerated almost comically,__** "whine, whine, whine, is that all you fucking do?"**_

_Caesar moved to open his mouth again, but the mulatto interrupted, sweeping the tendrils of her once elaborate hairstyle from her face,_

"_**Don't even bother, Caesar. I'm not gonna deny it, I did have sex with Tyler. Yeah, that's right! I had fucking sex," **__she drew the syllables of the last sentence out painfully, relishing as each and every one stung the Brooklyn boys heart, __**"and know what? I don't even care!"**_

"_**You're embarrassing yourself, Jazmine." **__Caesar's tone was icy cold, enough to send shiver's down Riley's spine. He'd never heard Caesar take that pitch with anyone before; it sounded wrong._

"_**Who? Me?! Get over yourself, Michael," **__Jazmine threw her bottle at his feet, laughing cruelly as he was forced to step away from the shattered glass__**, "everyone knows I only went out with you because you made me look good! This, right here, is all thanks to you, you know that? Hey, everyone, gather round, c'mon!"**_

_Riley stared as the room began to fill up rapidly, spying Cindy across the hall sending an equally confused look, and wondering where his brother was to sort this whole charade out._

"_**First off, I want ya'll to give Michael here a great, big, **_**fucking**_**, thanks. 'Cause, without him, I wouldn't be so fuckin' perfect, and ya'll wouldn't even be here. A great big thanks, to such a motherfucking **_**prick**_**. There. I said it. Ya'll were thinking it!"**__ Caesar even tried to restrain her, to save her from even more humiliation, and Riley had to admit, he was pretty impressed with the guy's persistence._

"_**Hey, no! Get the fuck off me you bastard, I've not finished! I now wanna send out a huge, massive thanks to ya'll. Know why?! 'Cause you're a load of .**_**pricks**_**. I never liked ya'll in the first place, I only invited ya'll here for the presents! I've used ya'll just for the money and the gifts and the fucking popularity, and you know what?! Ya'll can go **_**fuck**_** yourselves! Now get the **_**fuck**_** out of my house!"**_

_And then the Police arrived, and it was chaos. Riley didn't know what was happening; one minute he was watching Jazmine scream her confessions hoarse, the next, the hundreds of teenagers were shooting from the house faster than lightning, a dizzying mixture of screams and yells. All he could remember was standing alone, stationary amongst the scrabbling bodies as he was handcuffed from behind for a crime he didn't commit, Jazmine's twisted face as he was forced into the car._

Present Day

Riley ran over this information again and again as he sat with his head between his knees, hands running through his braids. Huey was pacing enough to burn a hole in the floor, arms wrapped tight about his chest as he glared at his younger brother, brow knitting together,

"How could you leave him on his own, Riley?!"

"Nigga, you's the oldest! It's yo gay ass meant to be lookin' after him! It ain't my job."

"Why am I the one who has to look after you both?! I'm not always going to be around to save you, Riley," Huey was shooting mental daggers at his brother, any emotion from the past five years spilling out in a single wash, "it's not my _job_ to keep an eye on you, you're sixteen _fucking_ years old! I have to have a life too, Riley, I can't just _drop_ everything for you because you can't be bothered to deal with _shit_ that doesn't concern you!"

"Whatever, nigga."

Riley didn't understand his brother. He knew full well that there was something going on between Huey and Jazmine, it was so obvious; he had to wonder how no one else had noticed yet. He couldn't understand what Huey saw in her; he knew his brother had suffered a long-time crush on the girl, but Riley would've thought the way Jazmine treated Caesar was a warning to anyone. Huey knew that she'd cheated on his best friend, and yet he still chased after her liked the gay-ass bitch he was.

"Mr Freeman and…er…Mr Freeman?" a slightly nervous nurse stared up at his brother, biting her lip, "you can both come through now."

"Ay, is my granddad gon' be aight?"

Riley followed after the nurse first, Huey trailing awkwardly; he didn't like hospitals.

"He's stable, Mr. Freeman."

"When's he gon' be able tah come home?"

The nurse drew back the plastic curtains, pausing for a moment as she considered how to phrase her words,

"He's stable."

"He's a fuckin' mess."

The nurse had scuttled away as fast as her legs could carry her, and Huey had to agree with his brother. Robert Freeman was only a waif of his previous self, the blankets only dwarfing his frail body, a mask suctioned to his mouth as he breathed raggedly, tubes coming in and out of everywhere. If he hadn't know who he was, Huey might not have recognised him.

"Is he gon' be able tah come home, Huey?"

Riley was perched on the cracked chair beside their grandfather, hunched right on the edge as he leaned towards the elderly man cautiously. His eyes were wide and swimming with guilt, and Huey dragged up a chair opposite, the scrape of metal on linoleum a stark contrast against the spontaneous beeping of the clustered machines.

"I don't know, Riley," Huey stared at their grandfather hopelessly, his inability to find an answer terrifying his younger brother, "this is his third stroke in five years, he was lucky to get away with so much as he has. It's possible he won't talk again, let alone walk. The nurse said they put him in a coma-"

"Ain't dat good? So he can sleep and shit?" Riley glanced back at the old man for a moment, "then he can come home, right?"

"I don't know, Riley," Huey pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, tight, "I just know that when doctors induce a coma, it's never usually good news."

Riley turned away from his grandfather, unable to look at him any longer. What was going to happen to them if he died? Where would they live? Who would look after them? It was only when he reached the last question, did Riley realise that his older brother had been doing that all along.

He could deal with being orphans. Shit, he'd been an orphan for as long as he could remember, but having no one left but his brother? That was big shit right there. He wasn't good with death, it was Huey who could remember their parents' last days, not him. Sure, there had been their Aunt Cookie, but that had never really sunk in, at least, not with him. They hadn't been able to go to the funeral because of their grandfather.

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><p>Huey felt sick.<p>

He was sitting in the hospital café, hands clasped to a paper cup of coffee, not caring if it burnt his fingertips. He didn't know what to do; what was he meant to do? He couldn't imagine a future without his grandfather in it, but it seemed like Fate had other ideas. If only Riley…no. He couldn't blame his brother for something like this; even if Riley _had_ stayed in the house, he wouldn't have been able to prevent the stroke. Maybe just get him help a little faster….

Huey groaned quietly into his hand, covering his nose from the stench of the cafeteria. He hated hospitals; he hated the smell and the colours and the people. He hated waiting and wondering about his life while the doctors played God, in their stupid coats with their stupid beeping instruments. He hated it all. He didn't even want a drink; Riley had suggested he go somewhere to cool down, and he couldn't have stayed with his grandfather any longer. If he was honest, Huey was scared. Absolutely, incredibly, terrified about what the future held, and so absorbed in his thoughts that he almost jumped out of his skin when his phone rang,

"Hello?" his hands were shaking, and he had nearly knocked his drink off the greasy table.

"Hey, it's Caez. Cindy told me about your granddad…you alright man?"

"I'm fine," Huey lied easily, sipping his drink to the dregs, "absolutely fine."

"You sure man? I know you hate hospitals; Riley told Cindy you were a bit shaken up."

"I'm fine, really," trust Riley, Huey rolled his eyes, "honest."

"How's your granddad?"

"He's, he's," Huey's throat suddenly went dry, and he wished he'd bought water over some ridiculous caffeinated product, "he's really fucked up, man."

"That bad?" Caesar's sympathetic tone settled on his ears, and he wished to be anyone right now, anywhere, so long as it was as far away from Huey Freeman and this hospital as possible.

"It's his third stroke, Caez. He did well to make it this far, I don't think he's going to be able to walk or talk again…to be honest, I don't think he's even going to-"

And then he was cut short, because chaos in the form of his brother arrived, all skidding shoes and baggy jeans, a look of utmost horror on his face as he burst into the cafeteria, overturning a table in a rushed attempt to reach his brother,

"Huey! It's Granddad-"

"Gotta go."

Huey hung up and sprinted after his brother, silently pleading for the best, heart sinking with the pain that was only inevitable. Reaching the barred doors of their grandfather's room, the brother watched, helpless, as the doctors flitted about the unit, all manner of electric devices at their fingertips. Riley's breath was steaming up the glass panel desperately, and Huey knew what was going to happen before it did, his heart pounding horrendously within his chest, doing what others couldn't. Their world was filled with voices and footsteps, buzzing and beeping, until everything fell silent, a great silence that was more than Huey could ever explain. He put an arm around his little brother's shoulders and closed his eyes, waiting for the silence to fall.

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><p>AAAA. What did I do?! Oh dear god. Please don't hate me for that, guys…^^;<p>

I found this song - Beneath your Beautiful by Labrinth, really worked with the ending…:) or maybe it's just meX)

So please, _please_ review this for me:) if I don't get reviews, I don't know if I should continue, so please tell me what you think! They all mean so much to me, I appreciate every single one!3_ I love you all, gorgeous readers!3_


	11. Grassy barrows of the Happier Dead

And this is where you all have a simultaneous heart attack, because I actually updated within a week of posting the last chapter.

_Oh dear Lawd, what is happening to me_?! X)

I just so wanted to write this chapter:) the ending of the last one had me so excited to write more…I'm not sure how many of you will ike this, 'cos it's more of a filler (I think…) but I still liked writing it:) and I don't think it's too bad^^; Just maybe a little…surprising. Either way:) Thank you so much for reading, and here come the reviews:D

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><p><strong>Taydo-the-potato<strong>: yeah, it kinda was, right?^^; you bet she can't:/ it's cool dude, I get your point:) Thank you so so so much for reviewing, it means the world:)

**DaeImagines**: And so I have!:D aw, thanks man:) (and thanks for the lovely review too!) Yeah, she doesn't deserve much:P

**2000msluna**: aww, man you cried?:( *hands over tissues* sorry man:( thank you so so much for the review though!

**BananaMilkshake97**: haha you bet she can'tX) thank you so much hunnie!:D

**Janiyah**: Sorry girl:/ haha, you bet they're notX) who knows?:P thank you so much for the review!

**MissG2020**: I'm so sorry girl._. I didn't realise it would happen till it did:/ (aunt cookie's dead too._. I'm so cruel…) I know, right? Poor boy:'( thank you so much for the review, you're such an angel; very luckily I don't actually live in America:) but thank you so much, you're so lovely:) (I do know a few people that were affected by Sandy- hopefully yor prayer helped them!:))

**Bunnybabe247**: thanks for the review:)

**DeLorean Hedgehog**: Never!:D Aw, man, thanks:) Haha, you bet she isX) (as if this isn't bad enough already) thank you so much for the lovely review! You're too kind:)

** . **: Oh my gosh, thank you so much for the bajillions of reviews, girl! I practically adore you right now- everything you've said is so wonderful and positive, thank you so much for actually bothering to review each chapter!

**Taylor**: thanks for the review!:D Here you goX)

**TuxcatQQQ**: haha, here you goX) thanks for the review:D

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><p>Oh my freaking goodness. Thank you all so, <em>so<em> much, you absolutely gorgeous people. I love you guys so much, your feedback really helps me:) I appreciate it so much more than you can imagine; I really hope you enjoy this next chapter and, however you feel about it, _please_ tell me!

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Unfortunately, I still don't own the Boondocks;)

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><p>For mid March, the weather was doing surprisingly well. The budding trees were showering the groups with cherry blossom as the people slumped along the gravelled path in a single trail, the cold sun slapping their backs. Flowers were sprouting up beneath the gnarled tree trunks, snowdrops and bluebells threaded between the woven blades of grass. A sweeping formation of birds soared through the water colour sky, and he wished away anything to be with them now, blessed with no worries. Freedom. It sounded nice.<p>

He was surprised that so many people turned up; he hadn't realised how popular his grandfather had been. They greeted him and his brother with equally deep words, deep looks and deep confessions, but he didn't care. He knew that all the while they were talking, they were really feeling relieved; relieved that they weren't in his situation. He couldn't blame them.

Turning away from the gathering crowd, he peered to look at the church spire that peaked into the distance, an ornate mess of gargoyles and stone carvings. He wasn't really one for religion, but after all, it hadn't been his decision.

"_Boy, when I die, I ain't goin' no shit way. You gotta do it proper, with a church and a priest…and bitches. Yeah, lots of bitches."_

"_Granddad, I ain't gonna let you die for a long time."_

"_Pssh, whatever boy. Now move away; Real Compton Housewives is coming on!"_

He'd failed. He'd promised to look after his grandfather no matter what it cost him; he took one selfish afternoon to himself, and now look what had happened. It was all his fault. All of it. He tugged at his black tie, suffocating, ripping open the top button of his shirt. The feeling was still there; claustrophobia. He watched his brother and their friends move onwards, and he wasn't sure he could do this anymore.

"Hey."

The soft voice was barely a whisper, and he almost mistook it for the whistle of the new leaves in the wind. Glancing to his right, he stared at the girl he definitely shouldn't be seen with, his hands deep in his pockets. Jazmine Dubois looked beautiful, as always, even though she did seem to have been crying. From the way she and her parents had arrived, he wasn't sure it was to do with his grandfather.

Her cinnamon hair was free in its natural style, foaming about her head and shoulders like a halo, several wisps tamed just so. Her pretty face held only little makeup, though she probably wiped some of it off with her tears, and her emerald eyes were ringed with red. Her slender, elegant frame was clothed in a simple black dress; a fitted, folded torso that cinched in at the waist before springing out gently, the pleated skirt coming to just above her tanned knees. Her shoes were sequined black flats to match the slide in her hair, and she looked at him pitifully from beneath the shade of the tree.

He just nodded in reply; he hadn't been able to open his mouth all day without choking up, and he had to quickly check there was no one nearby before walking towards her.

"Huey, I'm so sorry about your granddad," Jazmine desperately strained for eye contact, her hand reaching for his, "I wish I could do something to help…"

Huey shook his head, swallowing roughly before watching the rest of the congregation take place at the site. His heart sank even further than before.

"Maybe we should join them," she had noticed his wandering eyes, and began to lead him away, "Riley will be looking for you."

Standing at the gravesite, watching his grandfather's polished coffin levered into the ground to fester and decay by Uncle Ruckus, Huey wondered what was going to happen to him. He was the adult now, he was going to have to look after Riley properly this time round; he was probably going to have to take up another job. Huey was used to being an orphan; he was used to funerals and the people he loved dying, but having no one to fall back on? That was new.

Riley was crying shamelessly at his side, and Huey snuck a protective arm around his brother, wondering why everything he loved left him. He knew life wasn't fair; he had learnt this when he was too young to know what it meant…but he still felt defeated. This wasn't how he had visualised being eighteen.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…"

The priest droned on, sprinkling earth atop their grandfather's grave as Riley broke away from the service entirely, fleeing into the distance with Cindy at his heels, the eyes of the world upon him. Secretly, Huey envied him; he wished he was the younger brother, allowed to express some kind of emotion without being told to grow up and act like the man he was expected to be. Unlike his brother, he stayed every agonizing moment, watching as the mud was piled over the coffin and his grandfather was swallowed into the ground, forever.

Even after the congregation had left, heading back for their cars before going back to the reception at _his_ house, Huey lingered, staring at the flawless spot where his grandfather lay, begging himself not to cry. His hands were balled into fists, nails cutting so deep into his palms that they bled, brow furrowed furiously at the ground, silently screaming for this all to be one horrible joke, waiting for his grandfather to pop around the corner, laughing, _"I can't believe you actually fell for it, boy! Ya'll just as much of a nigga as yo' nappy haired brother…"_

Eventually, Caesar found him and coaxed him away, a hand on his sleeve,

"They found Riley…going home with the Dubois'…I'll drive you back…no fit state…need to rest."

Huey wasn't really listening.

* * *

><p>True to his word, Caesar drove them back in Huey's rundown, rusty old truck, and didn't comment as his best friend stared out of the window in a very un-Huey-like manner. The Brooklyn boy knew his friend had dealt with death before, but he'd never had to come across him when he was grieving. Maybe that was a good thing.<p>

Arriving back to the Freeman residence, where Tom and Sarah Dubois were hiding their differences to host the reception, Caesar parked the car behind Dorothy. Still gleaming from her last wash, Huey gazed at his granddad's beloved car for a while, before clambering out of the passenger seat and heading into the house, a silent nod of thanks to his best friend. Caesar sat in the car a while, watching the mourners sift into the home and wishing there was something he could do.

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><p>The house was packed. A sea of black and grey washed about the ground floor, soaking the stairs and flooding the halls. Huey's head was spinning; there were so many people, so many things to do, so much swimming through his mind, he was losing control. Slipping off the constricting tie, he stumbled upstairs, dodging the sympathetic friends and…well. Not family; he and his brother were the only ones left. He practically fell into his bedroom, locking the door tight behind him as he supported himself on the wood.<p>

He slid down the polished surface shakily, collapsing in a heap on the ground, back against the door as he clenched his legs to his chest, face buried in his knees. He threw the tie away (borrowed that morning from his grandfather's wardrobe), hands running through his thick hair, forcing his forehead into his kneecaps. He wanted to scream; to scream at the world and beg for a different life, to throw himself out of a window and never look back. He was so _tired_; _tired_ of being the sensible one, _tired_ of being the big brother, _tired_ of having to deal with _fucking_ _death_. Exhausted with having to act like he didn't care.

* * *

><p>Caesar was sitting in the living room on the main sofa, Riley and Cindy to his left. They had managed to track Riley down just outside the church, screaming and cursing words that hardly made sense, his speech impaired with tears. Cindy had been able to calm him down, eventually, and he was now simply a raging mess of fury, eyes sore from crying as he glared at the woman that <em>dared<em> to sit in his grandfather's seat.

Cindy was looking as beautiful as ever; Caesar didn't fancy her, not in the slightest, but there had been a childish crush for about a month when he was twelve, and he had never quite got over her looks. Her waist length, golden hair was woven into a practical and yet, gorgeous style, her sapphire eyes dazzling the room as she straightened out her black lycra skirt, matched with a plain black shirt. Her feet were bare beneath the skin-hued tights, and she kept an arm around her fragile boyfriend, both protective and a barrier in case he tried to act on his anger.

Caesar had never fully acknowledged before how lucky he was. His parents had divorced years ago, but at least he still had them both, and his mother mollycoddled him to pieces. He still had all his grandparents, and even though a few of his cousins were in jail, the majority of his aunts and uncle were only a phone call away. In fact, when he really thought about it, he had pretty much all of his family to turn to in a crisis. When Caesar had met Huey, eight years ago, the Chicagoan had no parents, and that seemed perfectly acceptable; Caesar had never fully realised that his best friend would, of course, have had parents at some point.

There had been a period, just a short one, in which he and Huey had fallen out over something so trivial, he couldn't even remember what it was. He had come home to his mother, complaining furiously, to which she had said,

"_Mikey, Huey's had a very different upbringing to you. You're both very similar, but very different at the same time; imagine if one day, me and your father were here, Mikey, and the next, we'd gone. How would it make you feel if we never came back?"_

Caesar had tried to imagine that. Tried to imagine how he would feel if his parents really did vanish or were killed, but the idea of living without them was so foreign, so…impossible, to his mind, that he could simply never imagine what it was like have none. It was only now, after eight years, that Caesar was beginning to understand just how much pain his best friend must be in. He had never pushed the topic of Huey's parents, not because he wasn't curious, but because he was a tactful person, and his friend had never chosen to mention them. Not once. As though they never existed.

"Where's Huey gone?"

Caesar chose to break the ice between the three of them, unable to stand their silence amidst the general hum of somber voices.

"I think he went upstairs," Cindy straightened up a little in her seat, eyes narrowing in a particular direction, her tone of voice immediately switching, "an' what da _fuck_ is dat hoe doin' here?"

Craning to one side, Caesar stared as Jazmine entered the room, looking more out of place than ever as she made her way towards them flawlessly, as though the crowd parted for her entrance.

"Da fuck is you doin' here?"

Riley glowered at the mulatto teenager standing just before them, wringing her hands. Jazmine gulped, her legs shaking as though nervous, eyes darting from Caesar, to Riley, to Cindy, and back to Caesar again.

"I wanted to say sorry-"

"I don't care. Get da fuck outta my house; hoes like yous ain't welcome here."

"I wanted to say sorry," Jazmine repeated herself over Riley, the volume higher slightly, eyes directly on Caesar's, "for everything I've done. I didn't mean to hurt anyone even though I know I did, and I know I can't take anything I've done back-"

"Too damn fuckin' right."

"But," her voice pitched over Riley's once again, "I wanted to try. To try and say that I'm sorry and I mean it; I've learnt my lesson, I know I was a bitch. There's been so many problems-"

"_Problems_?!" Riley was on his feet now, his face mere centimetres from Jazmine's, "You fuckin' _bitch_! You ain't got a _fuckin'_ _clue_ what having problems is. We _all_ got fuckin' _problems_, an' yo' ass is one of them! Nobody _fucking_ cares about you, Jazmine. _No one_."

Jazmine gawped at him, speechless, tears springing to her beautiful eyes, rooted to the spot as she turned to Cindy and Caesar in turn, helpless, begging for support. Cindy glowered at her, as loyal to her boyfriend as ever, and Caesar found he couldn't quite meet her gaze, head bowed to the floor. He had loved Jazmine so, _so_ much, sometimes he believed he still did. But after how she had treated him…what she had done to their relationship. He wasn't sure he could look at her the same way again, let alone ever trust her.

The mulatto gave them a look, a hopeless, pitiful look as if to say, _so this is how it is; this is how it's going to always be, _before mumbling,

"Where's Huey?"

"Bedroom," Riley muttered, allowing Cindy to pull him back onto the sofa, "why da fuck is you wantin' to see him? He don't care 'bout you neither."

"He cares more than you lot do!" Jazmine cried, turning on her heel to run upstairs, "at least he _talks_ to me! At least he _understands_!"

Watching her sprint away, Cindy turned to the two boys in pure confusion, eyebrows knitting together,

"I didn't know Huey even acknowledged Jazmine anymore, let alone talked to her."

"Maybe his bitch ass got over her already." Riley only mumbled his words, his voice barely above a whisper, but Caesar was sure he heard them right. Huey? Having a crush on Jazmine? Was that even possible?

* * *

><p>"Huey? Can I come in?"<p>

Jazmine's feeble voice quavered under the crack of the door, and Huey sighed gently. He had moved from the ground to his bed, suit thrown on the ground in a very un-Huey-like heap, exchanged for rumpled pyjamas. He considered ignoring her, leaving her to fester in the hall along with the rest of the congregation…but then he heard the sadness in her voice that was more than just pity, and he decided if they both had to be sad…they could at least suffer together.

So, almost silently, he moved to unlock the door before climbing back onto his bed, the noise so soft that it took Jazmine a moment to realise she could enter. She closed the door behind herself, locking it once again, before taking in Huey's disconsolate frame, skinny beneath the baggy clothes that made him seem to have lost a lot of weight in a short period of time. He was in just his pyjamas; a pair of maroon checked bottoms and a plain, faded t-shirt that was more grey than black. He was lying on his unmade bed, back turned towards her, and she wondered how best to approach him.

Gingerly, she edged forwards and clambered up onto the bed beside her once best friend, perching cautiously by his legs.

"Hey, Huey."

He said nothing, eyes still closed as he breathed in deeply, as though struggling to steady himself. Without really thinking, Jazmine moved to lie down alongside, facing him with her head on the spare pillow, waiting for him to look at her. She tucked one arm in against herself and watched as Huey, finally, stared at him, maroon eyes boring into her own. He didn't seem to know what to do with himself, lying gazing at her as if unable to do anything else.

He didn't look to have been crying; he just seemed emotionless, like a blank canvas. Huey was never one to show emotions, not explicitly like her, but there was always a flicker of _something_.

"Do you want to talk? Or…"

Jazmine had never seen Huey like this, in all the eight years of knowing him, and this wall of _nothing_ was starting to scare her. Huey always had ideas, he was always the leader, _he_ was the one that kept them all going; what were they meant to do when he couldn't even find the power to talk? He stared at her still, as though frozen, and Jazmine rolled over onto her back, looking up at the plastered ceiling with all her might, slim hands fumbling on her stomach.

"I think my parents are getting a divorce," Still no reply, and Jazmine took a deep breath, "they keep fighting, like, all the time. My mum's been having an affair with this man from her work for the past two years, and she never told any of us about it. My dad thought everything was normal, and then he walks in on them in their bed…"

"But your parents…downstairs..," Huey's voice was weak, hoarse, like one who'd been screaming for a long period time, and he could barely string his words together, "I thought…"

"It's a charade," Jazmine frowned at nothing in particular, "they're still trying to put on the perfect family show. Don't want to become a statistic."

"No one's perfect."

Jazmine glanced at the revolutionary, wondering if he meant more by his words than the obvious reply. For the past four years, she had been a self-centered, superficial bitch, believing that she was the absolute epitome of perfect. She had the "perfect" life, a "perfect" world with her at its "perfect" center; only now could she understand that perfect would be anything but to describe her. Huey joined her in gazing at the ceiling, matching her movements as he too shuffled onto his back, arms behind his head.

"Families are screwed up," Huey glowered at the crack in the ceiling, almost back to his usual self, "one day, everything's normal and perfect, and the next, your dad comes home and shoots your mum on your sixth birthday."

Jazmine stared at Huey, her mouth agape as his eyes flickered over her, wondering how she was meant to react to such a confession. Of course she had always wondered about the teenager's parents; it was only natural to be curious. She had just always imagined the conversation would come about more naturally, probably when they were both in a better frame of mind, rather than on his bed after his grandfather's funeral.

Huey slipped back over onto one side, only just looking at her through his heavy lids, before Jazmine did something completely, probably, unacceptable. She mirrored his actions, though pressing herself against his body, too close to be comfortable, before forcing her lips against his. The Chicagoan's eyes blinked open, wine-hues boring into her jade, as she nudged an arm over his waist and flipped them over, her frame crushed against his.

She ran her hands along his chest, under his shirt, caressing his dark skin and brushing her fingertips over the healed wound near his shoulder-blade. The kiss deepened, the passionate heat burning them up, his hands running though her curls, pulling her closer. Her palms ran beneath his pyjama bottoms, dipping under the hem of his boxers to skim his pelvis.

"What are we doing?"

Huey broke the kiss, his eyes brimming with perplexity as Jazmine bowed her head, capturing his lips as her own once more,

"I don't know."

* * *

><p>"Don't you think Jazmine's been gone a while?"<p>

Caesar glanced over Riley at Cindy, who was still struggling to console her distraught boyfriend.

"So what?"

"Well, it's Huey," Caesar frowned, "he doesn't even like Jazmine. If he _is_ in his room, why would it take her so long to come back? I mean, he'll have just ignored her.

Upon hearing this, Riley's scowl grew to match one of a similar intensity to the trademark of his brother's. He'd had a feeling for quite some time that there was something going on between Huey and Jazmine, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but that he was determined to figure out. Choosing not to wait around for his life to continue any longer, the younger Freeman leapt to his feet and stormed up the wooden stairs, checking with a few of the less sympathetic on his way. Apparently, a young girl with big, strawberry-blonde hair and a _very_ shot black dress (far too inappropriate for a funeral; kids these days…) had gone once into his brother's bedroom, and not returned.

Riley thought he knew his brother. Huey surely, wouldn't possibly have let that cheating, lying _bitch_ into his room over himself, his own brother. There was no way; it had to be a mistake. Upon reaching the bedroom, he pressed his ear to the door, straining for any signs of noise. When none came, he tried knocking, again getting no answer. If his brother was alone, he wouldn't have expected him to come out anyway…but the suggestion of Jazmine being in the same room was niggling a thought in his mind, one that couldn't go away.

If she was in his room, if they were alone and if they had nothing to hide…then why would they have locked the door?

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><p>And there we have it for this time:) haha, I so hope it's ok^^; I'm so tired-_-<p>

But, please, please (I am absolutely begging you) please review and tell me how you feel! Otherwise, I have no clue if I should carry on or not! I need to know I'm going in the right direction!

Thank you so much guys!


	12. Can't see the forest for the trees (prev

ok guys. i'm really sick at the moment-_- so i've done this little preview for the next chapter and i'd love to know what you think cos i feel...urghh...god. *blows nose on a tent-sized tissue* . i feel awful. hope you like this bit. i don't even know if it's legible english-_-

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><p><span>Reminiscence Chapter Ten-Preview<span>

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: i have never and sadly will never, ever, own the Boondocks. <strong>

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><p>"<em>Da <em>_**fuck**__ is dis, nigga?! I ain't eatin' dis shit! What a nigga gotta do tah eat real food round 'ere?! Dis is some fucked up __**bullshit**__! I gots tah be at Cindy's soon, an' I ain't goin' hungry, __**bitch**__!"_

"_What do you want me to do Riley, __**huh**__?! __**What do you want me to do**__?!"_

"_I want yo' bitch ass tah get a nigga some __**real**__ fuckin' food. Damn! It ain't hard, nigga!"_

"_I you want food, get it yourself. I am absolutely fucking __**sick**__ of having to look after you all the time, Riley. It's time you grew the __**fuck**__ up."_

"_**AY**__! What'chu goin' throwin' plates for, nigga?! Coulda taken a nigga's head off!"_

"_I wish it __**fucking**__ had!"_

'_Nigga, you gon' fuck up the whole motherfuckin' kitchen?! What da __**fuck**__ is wrong wit'chu?!"_

"_**What's wrong with me?! You're**__ my fucking problem, Riley. Granddad ain't here to look after you no more, an' you'd be dead too if I hadn't saved your ass!"_

"_Da __**fuck**__ you talkin' 'bout, nigga?!"_

"_You know __**exactly**__ what I'm fucking talking about."_

"_Whatever, nigga. Young Reezy ain't never need nobody, 'specially not __**yo**__ gay ass!"_

"_**Fine**__. Fuck it. I've had enough. See you around, Riley."_

And then his big brother had left, just like that, and Riley was alone. At first, it seemed pretty cool; Riley was still aching from his grandfather's death two weeks ago, but he could still get excited about having the house to himself for as long as he wanted. He raided his brother's room. He played as many video games as he could consecutively. He watched horror movies back to back. He even broke into the weapons cupboard his brother locked up, and fired about the house like he once did back when he was eight, when their grandfather had gone on holiday.

When he still had Huey.

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><p>and that's it-_- i'm sorry it's so horribly short and pathetic, but it's an idea i had and i wanted to run it by you guys. please review and tell me what you think, and if you have any magic medicine to make me better, i'd love that too-_- *goes to blow nose*<p> 


	13. Can't See The Forest For The Trees

I made it! Woo…_finally_..:) SO. This is like a belated Christmas present / early New Years gift for ya'll X) I'm a lot better now and I've had a lovely Christmas…hope you all did too!:) I . am. **SO**. Busy. Can you believe? People and places and _wow_. I have heaps of homework too:'( but at least no exams…and super pumped for whenever Season Four comes out…absolutely can't wait! (Imma need a huge huey fix…;)) (_also, imma chuck in a quote.. just for today, cause i thought of a few from Home Alone that just fitted...my other choice was gonna be when they're fighting and blaming each other for Granddad leaving...awhh...) _AND I got a new tablet for christmas that I am _dying_ to try out so…here's reviews!:D

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><p><strong>Retrobution<strong>: I'm working on it man…thanks for the review!:) – thanks man! Wayyy better now:D

**Taydo-the-potato**: GIRLL, I am SO on my way to review your story after I've done this! Been meaning to since I read it this morning3 let's hope he's in a better place._. I know right? Poor huey..:'( he needs some serious hugs..:'( ahaaX) I know where you're coming from manX)HMM I WONDER ..haha, we'll find out exactly eventually;) awhhhh thank you so much! You know I absolutely adore your reviews3 – feeling wayyy better girl!:D awhhh thanks so much; finished it as soon as possible for you:D

**MissG2020**: we're all perfecttt now! I hope you are too sweetie:) you're so kind3 I guess we'll have to wait to find out exactly what they did…hmmm…;) thanks so much for reviewing! – ain't judging you girl:) you're so sweet:D thanks so much:)

**Shadow1real**: awh thank you!

**Bunnybabe247**: that's riley for you;) – thanks so much!

**2000msluna**: we'll soon find out..;) thanks so much!

**Miss Natasha**: awhhh really girl? It means so much to hear (read?X)) you say that3

**Janiyah**: I'm so glad you love the story girl! Haha I knew I was gonna get hate for killing granddad…love that guy really. Pretty much summed up huey's birthdays there man:/ we all do girl; thanks for telling me what you thought!:D – you may have to wait a little while to find out exactly what happened with those two.. ;)

**Awesomeguy**: good choice in name;) haha thanks so much! – you really think it's amazing?! You're too kind…:) but here's the next chapter for you!:D

**Username**: awhhh wow really? Means a lot man:D

**Vicky the randomest**: I luurve your name girl! Dude, it's cool; studying comes first really:) thanks so much for even managing to say anything at all!

**Joice . xoxboubou . xox** : GIRL it's cool! Just that you actually bothered to say anything makes my day!3 thanks so much for that though, it's way kind:) you got it exactly there, girl:) ahaa I can't believe you mentioned my grammar; I'm so glad someone noticed! I'm a grammar nutX) I can't stand it when it's wrong:P awhhh but thank you so much, seriously your reviews are wonderful to read3 makes writing worth doing:) - I hope you're better now too! Lotsa hugs and hot chocolate if you're not (and even if you areX))

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><p><em>Awhhhh<em>, guys. Thank you all _so_ much to everyone who's reviewed, they really make this worthwhile:) I so hope you like this chapter…I feel like it's a bit more of a filler but I dunno, maybe it's just me;) I just really hope you like it and, whatever you feel, _please_ tell me! I absolutey love to hear! (and in case you think I'm weird, dropping numbers everywhere…3 is meant to be a heart but it won't show up on FF. but you can see half the loveX))

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>_** Sadly, Aaron Mcgruder wouldn't sell the Boondocks for a pizza. Not even Huey for one of his choice so…I'm still without them:'(**_

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><p><strong>Huey: Why does it always have to end up like this?<strong>

_Riley: Cause you's a bitch_

_**Huey: Don't do it...**_

(they both pull their triggers and knock each other out)

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><p><span>Reminiscence Chapter Ten<span>

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><p>"<em>Da <em>_**fuck**__ is dis, nigga?! I ain't eatin' dis shit! What a nigga gotta do tah eat real food round 'ere?! Dis is some fucked up __**bullshit**__! I gots tah be at Cindy's soon, an' I ain't goin' hungry, __**bitch**__!"_

"_What do you want me to do Riley, __**huh**__?! __**What do you want me to do**__?!"_

"_I want yo' bitch ass tah get a nigga some __**real**__ fuckin' food. Damn! It ain't hard, nigga!"_

"_I you want food, get it yourself. I am absolutely fucking __**sick**__ of having to look after you all the time, Riley. It's time you grew the __**fuck**__ up."_

"_**AY**__! What'chu goin' throwin' plates for, nigga?! Coulda taken a nigga's head off!"_

"_I wish it __**fucking**__ had!"_

'_Nigga, you gon' fuck up the whole motherfuckin' kitchen?! What da __**fuck**__ is wrong wit'chu?!"_

"_**What's wrong with me?! You're**__ my fucking problem, Riley. Granddad ain't here to look after you no more, an' you'd be dead too if I hadn't saved your ass!"_

"_Da __**fuck**__ you talkin' 'bout, nigga?!"_

"_You know __**exactly**__ what I'm fucking talking about."_

"_Whatever, nigga. Young Reezy ain't never need nobody, 'specially not __**yo**__ gay ass!"_

"_**Fine**__. Fuck it. I've had enough. See you around, Riley."_

And then his big brother had left, just like that, and Riley was alone. At first, it seemed pretty cool; Riley was still aching from his grandfather's death two weeks ago, but he could still get excited about having the house to himself for as long as he wanted. He raided his brother's room. He played as many video games as he could consecutively. He watched horror movies back to back. He even broke into the weapons cupboard his brother locked up, and fired about the house like he once did back when he was eight, when their grandfather had gone on holiday.

When he still had Huey.

His brother had never said much at the best of times, but even without him, the house was eerily silent. Riley found he had to keep the noise going, to stop the pain from hitting him. When he was in his bedroom, he left the television on downstairs, on the channels his grandfather used to watch. When he was in the living room, he left music on upstairs, blaring out Public Enemy from his brother's abandoned bedroom. Sometimes, he even found himself watching the news, only half absorbed. By the end of the week, he realised he couldn't go a minute without noise, and he also knew he couldn't keep up the charade of his brother "being sick" any longer.

Monday mornings were always the worst.

It had been just over a week since his brother had _abandoned_ him, and Riley was starting to panic. He wasn't stupid, but he was just sixteen; bills were going to be coming in soon and he had no clue how to pay them. How was he meant to pay them? He didn't have a job. And even if he did find the money, who did he send it to? How had his brother ever figured out these things? Then, he realised, Huey had always been the smart one.

He was late to school, _again_. He had been so used to his brother yelling at him to _get his lazy ass up_ in a morning, that being home alone still hadn't registered. He somehow had managed to rouse himself at nine (_somehow_, as he had gone to bed only six hours before) and trudged out of bed towards the bathroom, scratching his nappy cornrows habitually. Brushing his teeth and staring himself down in the mirror, Riley wondered how he was meant to break the news to his friends that his brother had just…_gone_. It wasn't like he hadn't tried to get in contact; Riley had called his sibling's mobile at least a hundred times (he didn't care how gay it was) and it always managed to go to voicemail.

Grumbling to himself, the teenage boy dragged on the first things he could find, for once not so bothered about his appearance, before slinking downstairs. His breakfast was made up solely of three doughnuts and a can of Cola, and he gazed wistfully at Dorothy as he began his slow walk to school. Riley hadn't passed his test, and though he wasn't really bothered about driving illegally, the thought of screwing up the belonging his grandfather had valued the most tore him up inside. Thinking over cars and how he was going to be late for school, made Riley remember what day it was; the thirtieth. The thirtieth of _March_. His goddamn sixteenth birthday.

_Fan-fucking-tastic._

He managed to complain loudly all the way to school, kicking a crumpled can along the pavement as he walked, purposely barging into anyone who passed when his rant hit it's peak. By the time he managed to reach his friends he was in an even worse bad mood than earlier, and was pretty sure his scowl could have challenged his brother's; in fact, his eyebrows were actually starting to ache.

Being younger than the majority of his friends (Riley was never sure how that worked out) he could only meet up with them out of class, which didn't really give any of them enough time to hang out properly. Caesar was almost always at a game or some sports club, most of his time gobbled up by his teammates and admirers (though, unlike _some_ people Riley could think of, it didn't go to his head). When Jazmine (_bitch_, Riley thought decidedly) had been close, pretty much every minute was about her and her completely fake lifestyle; there wasn't much space for real friends.

Cindy spent almost all her lunchtimes and hours after school with the basketball team, but out of all of the, Riley saw her the most. Which was probably obvious, her being his _absolutely goddamn perfect_ girlfriend; it didn't mean he took her for granted though, no way. Forget what he said about girls when he was eight, if there had to be anyone Riley respected most in the world, hands down it would be Cindy.

Honestly, Riley didn't have any school activities to fill his time (robbing the usual banks and general stores with Ed and Rummy didn't _quite_ count as school, though he figured they were more useful than Science class). If there was a time when nothing was happening, he often found himself in the Art room, adding to his latest project; a canvas that stretched from one wall to the other, completely done in oils. The subject was something he kept close to his heart; only he and his art teacher had actually seen it.

And Huey? Damn, Riley had no clue what his brother did at lunchtimes; probably some _gay ass shit_, as usual.

When Riley finally made it into the building, he found his friends (now only down to two) chatting by their lockers, and he tried to rub the frown from his features as he sidled alongside. Cindy was as gorgeous as usual, her golden waterfall of hair swept up into a messy bun, azure eyes glimmering as she laughed. She was tall (the same height as him…he was still waiting for a growth spurt to kick in) and rather skinny, but her curves were there, more or less, hidden beneath the oversized T-shirt and baggy jeans. Cindy almost always dressed down for school, but she managed to stay perfect no matter what she wore; she could come in a bin bag, and Riley would still find her attractive.

He figured that was a part of being in love.

"Hey, Riley."

"Wassup nigga?"

Caesar, achingly tall with much-envied muscles and shoulder length dreadlocks grinned down at the younger Freeman brother, eyes still laughing from his earlier joke. He craned about the hallway for a moment, features straining searchingly before falling back on Riley, and expression of utmost perplexity etched on his face,

"Huey sick _again_? Damn; I've never seen that boy ill this long before…when's he gonna be back in?"

"The fuck I know," he might as well get it over and done with, this Monday morning couldn't get much worse, "probably never. That nigga ain't sick, his ass left 'bout a week ago."

"Left?" it was Cindy's turn to look concerned now, her eyes narrowing at her boyfriend, "ya'll mean like…gone-fo'eva-left?"

"Well, the bitch ain't come back, so yeah, I guess."

Riley shrugged, his hands deep in his pockets as he kicked the stained linoleum, more concerned about his anger and birthday than his brother; he'd done all this a week ago.

"That's not like Huey at all," Caesar said to no one in particular, frowning in deep thought, "wonder where he's gone…"

"Well if I fuckin' knew that, nigga, I'dve gone, wouldn' I? _Fuck_."

A heavy, uneasy silence settled around the teenagers, Caesar staring into space as he pondered the whereabouts of his best friend while Riley slammed his foot into his locker, having never felt this angry before.

"Hey, Reezy," Cindy broke the quiet with an awkward grin, leaning over to plant a chaste kiss on Riley's lips, "it ain't a good time but, happy birthday."

* * *

><p><em>Wham!<em>

As another spoiled mannequin collapsed to the ground, he came to the sound conclusion that in comparison to a human counterpart, they were…well, _shit_. The padded models collected in a splayed heap, torsos slashed, stuffing foaming out, pooling over the material and onto the dusty wooden floor to imitate blood. He surveyed the oddly macabre scene with an air of contempt, his katana still clutched in one hand as his breathing steadied, heart pounding and chest heaving. Who knew he could miss adrenaline this much?

Flinging the katana down onto the messy heap of mannequins, he headed over to the convex front window, watching the sun blaze over the city. Collapsing into the striped, fitted seat, he wiped his forehead and scowled slightly at the sweat on his arm; he needed to practice harder, he used to be able to do all of this and more without even running out of breath. A little angry at himself for allowing this state of …_ill health_ to reach such a peak. He leant back on the cool glass and closed his eyes, his arms draped over his hunched knees.

Eight days in, and he realised how good this was for himself. This was what he had needed; some time alone to get his thoughts straight, his body back in shape and his head on right. He wasn't too sure how his brother would be coping alone, but tried not to worry about his too much; he had plenty of friends to fall back on for the time being, and he'd left enough money in the usual kitchen cupboard.

At first, Huey hadn't been sure what he was going to do with himself. Those weeks after his granddad had passed were the worst; he knew Riley was grieving in his own way, but he just couldn't cope with the strain of it anymore. He snapped, he overreacted, he knew that. But maybe it was for the best. It had taken a while of wandering before he figured out the absolute best place to hide for a while, somewhere safe and undisturbed.

Huey had missed Chicago. The familiar city stench had been so comforting, a welcome reminder of his childhood and warmer times, where everything had a silver lining. He had been impressed at himself for being able to retrace his steps back to his old house without a map; enjoying the walk with the late-Spring sunlight on his back. His childhood home had been an average, two-storey building with red bricks and a modest, overgrown garden. It had always been a deceptive place; the interior decidedly larger than the outside would first suggest, and even with all its ghosts, Huey still found it wonderful.

When he had first stepped inside, he had almost choked on the wall of dust he stumbled into; for one reason or another, his grandfather had never sold the property, leaving Huey, the owner, with the key. After a while of coming to terms with the creaking floors and copious dust sheets, he stocked a makeshift fridge in the cool basement with fruit, vegetables, water…anything healthy. Being well over six foot, Huey was no longer able to fit in his old kids' bed, and he found the idea of sleeping in his parents' bed far too weird; in fact, he had wanted to disturb as little as possible, and so made his bed up on the very window-seat he was coiled on now. It was cramped, but it would do.

Taking a swig from his water bottle and lazily contemplating a banana, Huey flipped open his phone to check for life, something he hadn't done since he arrived. There seemed to be a sudden splurge of frantic texts from Caesar and, surprisingly, Cindy, asking where he'd run off to, and he found at least a hundred (he had to re-read the number to be sure) missed calls from his little brother. He didn't want to feel guilty about this, after all, Riley had deserved it…but he couldn't help it, especially on his sibling's birthday.

Huey fingered the keypad lazily, wondering where to begin, whether or not to do anything at all, when another message slunk into view. The number was unknown, and he was slightly cautious about opening it, being a (_retired_) domestic terrorist and all, but decided to take the risk.

_Message at 11:39am, 30.03.18_

_Huey, it's Jazmine._

_Life is screwed up right now, I know, but it won't sort itself out unless we make it. I'm not sure what's going on with us right now, and I don't think you are either, but one thing I do know is that you need to come back. No one knows where you are, but I think Riley's going to pieces without you, and you're the only one who can fix him. I know this is all kinda cheesy, and I know you either won't reply or won't look, but it's true. _

_Please come back, Huey. Riley really needs you and…I don't know. I think I might do too. _

Huey blinked. He hadn't been expecting that.

He paused for a moment, staring at the pixelled screen until he'd had enough, and flung it across the room so it landed neatly against his katana, the fall cushioned by the decapitated mannequins. He wasn't ready to go back, not yet. He couldn't believe Jazmine had actually tried to contact him after what they…_no_. No, he didn't want to think about that now, it made him feel guilty.

Guilt wasn't something he was ready to face just yet.

* * *

><p>After her old group of friends has disbanded, Jazmine had crept away from her corner unnoticed, as though invisible. She still wasn't used to this new, transparent way of life, and though eavesdropping was pretty low, there was no way she'd be able to find out anything from anyone by talking. She missed her old life, no matter how fake it was; she missed her admirers and friends, she missed Cindy enough that she positively <em>ached<em> at the thought of her ex-best friend. But possibly most of all, she missed her perfect parents.

Since that first, horrific row, Tom and Sarah DuBois had argued every single consecutive night and day, from the moment they left home to the moment they returned from work. Jazmine was getting sick of it; she was losing sleep over their incessant shouting and the worries of their inevitable divorce. If she had to choose one thing to keep perfect and sane in her life, she would have chosen her family without a second thought. Too bad life didn't give you second chances.

The home disruption was enough to cost her in everyday life; her teachers were beginning to notice problems, faults in Jazmine's once bubbly lifestyle. She sat alone in the back corner of every class, her old possy treating her like something nasty on the bottom of their Gucci heels. She had stopped talking completely in lessons and pretty much altogether everywhere else; in fact, the only time she opened her mouth at school was to ask for food in the canteen. Her grades were dropping furiously as the work increased along with her problems, until she began to consider giving up completely.

Jasmine had got it. She knew she'd hurt people, she knew she deserved this, she'd learnt her lesson. But now, she'd had enough. There were no friends, her parents were filing for divorce on Wednesday, and now Huey had abandoned her too. It was getting to be all too much, she couldn't blame the young revolutionary for running away. If things continued as they were now, she'd join him in an instant. But after their last…interactions, she wasn't sure how things were between them any more. That is, if there was anything between them left.

The curiousity of Huey Freeman's whereabouts kept everyone busy until lunchtime, the rumours spreading and increasing like wildfire over the entirety of the school. By the time Jazmine was ordering her lunch (green mac and cheese…seriously?) Huey had either been deported for shooting the president, run off with a girl twice his age and width to get married in Las Vegas so their child wouldn't be born out of wedlock, or been shuttled to an anti-gay reversal camp.

She was starting to get seriously concerned about the intelligence levels of her generation.

Frowning in disgust, Jazmine watched what was supposed to be treacle tart (more like bogey and puke pudding) being slopped onto her tray, flecks splattering her grey shirt from the ladle. Quickly getting used to this kind of stuff happening to her, the mulatto forced herself to ignore the stains and headed into the dining hall, hoping there was somewhere other than the bathroom to eat today.

Stepping into the lunch hall, Jazmine barged right into the middle of an oddly familiar possy, and managed to spill the other girl's leftovers all down her pastel pink dress.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry I…"

As she took a pace back, Jazmine realised exactly who she'd covered in green macaroni and bit back the lump of horror in her throat. Melanie Sherman, once head lap dog, stared right back at her, fierce grey eyes silently daring her to move. She hadn't been keeping on top of the popularity stats as well as everything else in her messed up life, though Jazmine now wish she had; as Melanie swept away her sheet of coal hair and had the stains cleared up by several of her flock, her gaze never left Jazmine's.

Melanie was clearly top of the food chain now.

"Well, look who it is. Miss I-Had-It-All. Emphasis on had," she allowed a pause for her fans to titter on cue, "like, _totes_ such a shame you screwed up DuBois…"

"_Totes_." Her admires echoed in unison.

"But, we all like, _totes_ knew it wouldn't last forever. Normally, I would like, so have you for this," Melanie gestured to her probably ruined dress, "but, I like, figured…this is all thanks to you!"

"Er…what?" Jazmine had been expecting some kind of retort or demeaning public insult; she had at least imagined having her own dinner caked down herself. This tension building was actually pretty sickening.

"Ohmigosh, she like, _totes_ doesn't get it!" The possy laughed at Jazmine's confusion, making her feel even smaller than before, until Melanie placed a hand on the mulatto's arm, "Jazzy, _babe_, I totes learnt everything from, like, _you_! I am who I am because of, like, you…isn't that _totes_ amaze?!"

Jazmine blinked stupidly, watching her fickle admirers flutter away behind the new social butterfly, her shoulders sagging. It was like looking in a mirror…was that _really_ who she used to be? And was that really how she use to _speak_?! Maybe this change really was for the best. Sighing, she trudged further into the dining hall and, surveying her situation for an empty table, came across another knock to her confidence.

The closest table to her right held, as usual, her old friends; Cindy laughing and Riley smirking, probably at a joke Caesar had told until…no. Was she seeing things right? There was another occupant at the table, a girl she'd seen around school who was, basically, a prettier, taller, more intelligent and far more _perfect_ version of herself. It took Jazmine a moment to realise they were laughing at _her_ joke and…_Caesar had his arm around her waist_.

Had she really been _that_ easy to replace?

He was going to move on at some point; Jazmine knew that. But seeing this girl just run in and take everything she had lost, swallow up where she'd left off, hurt Jazmine more than she could ever possibly understand. Jazmine didn't have any feelings for Caesar, not any more and probably hadn't for a very long time…but even so. She didn't think that it was going to be so soon. Head spinning, she turned sharply on her heel and made away in the opposite direction, until she felt a warm hand on her arm,

"Jazmine."

Peering round slowly, Jazmine stared as her ex-boyfriend, who hadn't talked to her in..what, over a month(?) gazed down at her, dark eyes meeting emerald.

"Jazmine, I'm sorry," she began to speak and her put a finger to her lips, "no, you've already said your part. Jazmine…look, I'm never going to be able to forgive you for using me, not properly…"

Caesar looked at her, hard, his eyes saying more than his lips ever could, and Jazmine knew what was coming before it did. He ran a hand through his messy dreads before continuing, letting out a deep breath,

"Jazmine, I'm always going to love you, no matter what. But I've found someone else and, besides," he cracked a sad smile, "you never loved me back anyway."

"Caesar, I…"

"_No_, Jazmine. I'm sorry because I shouldn't have isolated you like I did…I see you on your own and I just…I don't know what I'm meant to do," Caesar glanced back at his friends back at their table, still grinning, "Riley's only bearing a grudge because he's having it rough at the moment, and he needs to take it out on someone; he doesn't mean it. And you know how loyal Cindy is…they'll come around eventually. I just wanted to say that…well…I'm okay to put the past behind us now."

There was silence, one teenager barely daring to look at the other before Jazmine slid Caesar's gentle hand from her elbow and smiled, ever so slightly, before walking away,

"Thanks, Caesar."

Plonking herself alone at the further table, Jazmine prodded what was meant to be food morosely, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore. Whether that was to do with the suspicious lumps in her pudding, or having so many emotions shoved inside her within ten minutes, she wasn't sure.

_What next?_

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><p>What indeed?;) Haha, <strong>so<strong>. I really, _really_ hugely hope ya'll like this, and even if you didn't, _please_, I am _begging_ you, _please_ drop me a review telling me what you think:) no matter how big or small, I appreciate them all! (and that rhymed…;)) and they keep me writing…otherwise, how'd I know if I'm doing things right?! _(also, there's meant to be a deeper meaning to the quote i chose at the start...which i why i left in the actions...:))_

-**Kaz**.


	14. Chapter 11 Preview

Ok guys:) I'm _sorry_ that this is only a preview...i am **_so_** busy at the moment, it's unreal (plus i have a _tinyyyy_ bit of writer's block^^;) but i'm mainly posting for reasons such as:

1. It's been exactly a **month** yesterday since i posted my last chapter ._.

2. I found out the first episode title for **Season 4** yesterday and have been hyped ever since;)

3. Figured it's officially been **over a year** since I got into the Boondocks (wow. doesn't feel that long at all ._.)

So here's a preview; i'll reply to all your _gorgeous_ reviews when i post the full chapter later (hopefully _soon_! i've had **NINE** essays this week so imma be busy...)

Thank you _so much_ for being so patient with me, you _amazing_ people, and if you like this (though it's **majorly** short...) _please_ tell me!:D and have a guess at where you think it's going, maybe?;) Hope you enjoy!:D

(as a hilarity-bonus, I walked into a lamppost at school today and now have a beautiful lump on my forehead. i feel that sums me up nicely..;))

-Kaz

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><p>Reminiscence Chapter Eleven<p>

It was April 12th, and the chances of finding Huey Freeman were growing slimmer by the minute. As the warm rays spread themselves over her duvet that morning, Jazmine opened one drowsy eye and realised she was close to giving up completely. It had been twenty days exactly since his disappearance; maybe she was just going to have to accept the fact that Huey simply did not want to be found. She heard a plate smash downstairs, orchestrated with the crashing of antique vases and the mulatto teenager rolled over, groaning into her pillow. If her parents had to fight like children, couldn't they do so quietly?

She was almost drawn back to slumber when her pillow vibrated and began to sing a muffled version of _The Only Exception_ by _Paramore_. Sure that pillows didn't normally perform, Jazmine sat right up in her bed and stared sleepily at the cushion as it wobbled precariously on her bed. Suspicious and not quite awake, she nudged it away cautiously to find her white iPhone wailing miserably, and felt quite glad no one had seen her stupidity. Yawning, Jazmine ran a hand through her _very_ curly hair and picked up the mobile, staring at the blocked number idiotically for a moment. What's the worst that could happen?

"Hello?" Jazmine mumbled into the phone, stifiling yet another yawn as she flopped back down onto her bed, expecting a cold caller. She stretched herself out in the pause and began to snuggle deep into her quilt, eyes closed, wondering if her hanging up first was rude.

"…Hey."

She knew that voice.

Flinging herself back upright, Jazmine's mouth dropped open in the utmost shock and gawped at the empty space, unable to think. She was speechless. What did she do now? What did she say? What did she-

"Jazmine? Are you there? It's me."

Indeed it was.

Huey Freeman was back.

* * *

><p>To say he was meant to be up to his eyeballs in letters and bills, Riley was feeling pretty good about himself. This was either because he'd found a great hiding place for them all, or because the love of his life was curled up at his side, her angelic head on his chest. The sheets were draped over their naked bodies and his mind was still reeling from the night before; it had been their first time and Riley was proud of it, because he couldn't think of anyone he'd rather lose his virginity to.<p>

Reaching out like a cat basking in the sunlight, he was about to coil himself back around Cindy, when the strangest noise fluttered in from downstairs. The definite _click_ of a key being turned in a lock came from their front door, but Riley thought it would be kind of odd (and very stupid) to break into a house at…ten in the morning (that went fast…). He ignored it for a moment, presuming it was just the house making strange noises, until he heard very definite footsteps coming up the stairs, growing louder by the second.

As quickly and quietly as possible, Riley managed to untangle himself from his snoozing girlfriend and scrabble around for his boxer shorts, panic rising in his throat. Just as he was about to leap through the doorway and pounce on his attacker, the hinges swung open and Riley stared from his spot on the bed at their "burglar".

Huey Freeman, tall, strong and impossible, lingered just over the threshold, rucksack slung over one shoulder. There was something different about him, a subtle change that Riley couldn't quite put his finger on…either way, his older brother seemed to at least fit his clothes now, and certainly wasn't as skinny as he had been. If anything, Huey looked…healthy.

"Hey."

The two siblings stared at each other for a moment, Cindy's snores the only sound to break their tense silence (Riley noticed his brother was making a conscious effort to look anywhere but near her). The quiet ensured until Riley started forwards and punched Huey, hard, in the face, knocking his brother backwards. Huey stumbled, only staying upright from the hand that steadied himself on the doorway, but he didn't bother to defend himself like Riley knew he could. He seemed to just accept it.

"Riley…"

"_No_, nigga!" The sixteen year old threw another blow, this time one that Huey blocked easily, again and again until Riley grew exasperated, tossing punches haphazardly, "you think yo ass can just come back an ev'thing be aiight again? _Fuck_ you, Huey-"

Sure that Cindy was deeply asleep, Huey had stepped forward and managed something he hadn't done in years; pulling Riley into a tight embrace. His little brother fought against it for a moment, throwing fists that became less and less forceful by the minute until, defeated, he hugged his brother back and mumbled,

"Nigga, you gay."


	15. Is This Right?

Well haiiii there strangers;) Now, I know what you're all thinking…

**HOLYMOTHEROFCHEESEWHATTHEHEL LISSHEDOINGHERESHENEVERUPDAT ESOHMAHLAWDYINEEDTAHLIEDOWN**-wait, what was the question?._.

Haha, ok;) Right, so I am _hugely_ sorry for the…what…2 month delay on this full chapter? I have been so busy with school/drawing/writing/friends/papers/general crap that I have had NO time. It is unbelievable how you can have all the time in the world and yet so little. Ugh. But moving on, I made it:D I got this damn thing out, thank goodness. I'm sorry in advance if it's a little jumpy…it's 2 months and not proof-read (actually, I don't proof-read anything, but anywayyyy…^^;) so. Yes. Apologies for being late, apologies for taking FOREVAH, and apologies if this is appalling English. So many apologies, I even put them in goody bags. You can get bonus ones if you review ;)

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><p>On the subject of reviews…<p>

**Retrobution**: thanks man:) OHMAHLAWD did I? Awh geez…I can't say I ever believed it was spelt Jasmine, but my Word auto-corrects it, so…

**200msluna**: THANK YOU!:D – YOU BET HE DID GIRL:D (here it is, after a month or so…deeply ashamed._.)

**janiyah**: I know girl:/ aha, I'd like to have seen that;) ooo…I keep putting that one off;) aha, thank you!:D

**Schweetpea1870**: awhh, thank you so much girl!:D I do that so much on here too:S Thanks for finding time to say something!:) thank you SO much, that meant a lot:) sorry my update took forever!:S

**DeLorean** **Hedgehog**: thanks man!:D aha yeah:P

**Taydo-the-potato**: awhh, girl it's cool! (have I reviewd your latest? I swear I have…if I haven't, I WILL RIGHT NOW.) awhhh man that woulda been cute:D thank you SOSO much, I've updated but not soon:'( sorry!:S

** .xox**: girl, I'm sorry if your name doesn't come up right on FF:S I always type it right but sometimes it just doesn't work:S THANK YOU so much for the review though!:D Happy (extremely late) New years (or maybe easter?._.) to you too!:D your review was UH-mazing:D – I GOT MORE AGAIN. NOT SURE I'LL SURVIVE THESE ONES *faints dramatically* nice singing;) awhh, thank you so much for being patient!:D (and sorry you had to be...) hope your exams were all good:)

**Awesomeguy**: aww thanks so much!:D spoilers;) (you too man:)) AWH MAN THANK YOU!

**VickytheRandomest**: I'm afraid Aunt Cookie's dead in this story._. If she was alive there'd be an easier way out for Huey + Riley (I know, I'm awful._.) well…part of it's my name;) But that's all I'm saying;)

**Jazavelli**: OHMYLAWDY four reviews in a row? YOU'RE AMAZING GIRL! I've been mia too, I'm so ashamed._. Oopsiedaisy-I purposely didn't put it, but it was meant to be Huey:) sorry, I know that bit was sorta misleading..it made sense at the time!:S Who knows, man?;)IT TOOK ME 2 MONTHS BUT I UPDATED. I DID AS YOU SAID. WOO ;) ahah sorry._. Thank you SOOOOO much for the review though man. You bet karma beat her ass, OOO you damn right about Caez there;) _Girl, thank you so, SO much for the reviews, some of them are HUGE and BEAUTIFUL and I have read them all repeatedly but don't have time to reply to every bit.. I hope that ok:( But I PROMISE you I appreciated them all so much 3 (putting a heart even though it won't work^^;)

**Aj118**: I have:D but I didn't hurry._. I'm so sorry (thank you for the review though :)) – Awhh added something? I hope I did (he's my fave too man;)) awwhh bless you, thank you so much :) I hope it doesn't hit you too hard;)

**Echosong258**: awwhh thank you!:D aha I'll try….no proof-reading^^;

**Kimrockz**: thanks for the review:D I guess so:)

**Lamard**: awhh thank you!:D sorry they took FOREVER (my bad._.)

**MicaiahYoochunnie**: awhh man, thanks so much for the reviews!:D So appreciated! (I hope you didn't cry:))

**BananaMilkshake97**: awhhh thank you:) I'm sure yours woulda been FANTASTIC too anyway:D

**The Reviewer**: ahah, I bet so;) thanks for the reviews:D

**Priorityqueue**: thank you so much!:D

**Bunnybabe247**: aha yeah, thanks so much:D

**MissG2020**: awhh, thank you girl:) I think I'm almost there:)

**KyaDiamondInTheSky**: YAY FOR HUEY:D thank you SO. MUCH. I'm way sorry this is so horribly late:S

**Guest**: thank you man, really:D

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><p>OK. ALL DONE *phew*. So, here's the drill, as we all know:) <em>Thank you<em> all, every one of you _gorgeous_ people, for the beautiful reviews, and I absolutely appreciated every single one as fully as possible (sorry if my replies were appalling, but it IS midnight here…) I really hope you enjoy this next chapter, but whether you do or don't, please (absolutely begging) drop me a review to tell me! I love them so much33 Thank you in advance:)

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>Though Huey told me himself he would _love_ for me to own him, the Boondocks still all belong to Aaron McGruder (lucky bastard;))

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><p>Reminiscence Chapter Eleven<p>

* * *

><p>It was April 12th, and the chances of finding Huey Freeman were growing slimmer by the minute. As the warm rays spread themselves over her duvet that morning, Jazmine opened one drowsy eye and realised she was close to giving up completely. It had been twenty days exactly since his disappearance; maybe she was just going to have to accept the fact that Huey simply did not want to be found. She heard a plate smash downstairs, orchestrated with the crashing of antique vases and the mulatto teenager rolled over, groaning into her pillow. If her parents had to fight like children, couldn't they do so quietly?<p>

She was almost drawn back to slumber when her pillow vibrated and began to sing a muffled version of _The Only Exception_ by _Paramore_. Sure that pillows didn't normally perform, Jazmine sat right up in her bed and stared sleepily at the cushion as it wobbled precariously on her bed. Suspicious and not quite awake, she nudged it away cautiously to find her white iPhone wailing miserably, and felt quite glad no one had seen her stupidity. Yawning, Jazmine ran a hand through her _very_ curly hair and picked up the mobile, staring at the blocked number idiotically for a moment. What's the worst that could happen?

"Hello?" Jazmine mumbled into the phone, stifiling yet another yawn as she flopped back down onto her bed, expecting a cold caller. She stretched herself out in the pause and began to snuggle deep into her quilt, eyes closed, wondering if her hanging up first was rude.

"…Hey."

She knew that voice.

Flinging herself back upright, Jazmine's mouth dropped open in the utmost shock and gawped at the empty space, unable to think. She was speechless. What did she do now? What did she say? What did she-

"Jazmine? Are you there? It's me."

Indeed it was.

Huey Freeman was back.

* * *

><p>To say he was meant to be up to his eyeballs in letters and bills, Riley was feeling pretty good about himself. This was either because he'd found a great hiding place for them all, or because the love of his life was curled up at his side, her angelic head on his chest. The sheets were draped over their naked bodies and his mind was still reeling from the night before; it had been their first time and Riley was proud of it, because he couldn't think of anyone he'd rather lose his virginity to.<p>

Reaching out like a cat basking in the sunlight, he was about to coil himself back around Cindy, when the strangest noise fluttered in from downstairs. The definite _click_ of a key being turned in a lock came from their front door, but Riley thought it would be kind of odd (and very stupid) to break into a house at…ten in the morning (that went fast…). He ignored it for a moment, presuming it was just the house making strange noises, until he heard very definite footsteps coming up the stairs, growing louder by the second.

As quickly and quietly as possible, Riley managed to untangle himself from his snoozing girlfriend and scrabble around for his boxer shorts, panic rising in his throat. Just as he was about to leap through the doorway and pounce on his attacker, the hinges swung open and Riley stared from his spot on the bed at their "burglar".

Huey Freeman, tall, strong and impossible, lingered just over the threshold, rucksack slung over one shoulder. There was something different about him, a subtle change that Riley couldn't quite put his finger on…either way, his older brother seemed to at least fit his clothes now, and certainly wasn't as skinny as he had been. If anything, Huey looked…healthy.

"Hey."

The two siblings stared at each other for a moment, Cindy's snores the only sound to break their tense silence (Riley noticed his brother was making a conscious effort to look anywhere but near her). The quiet ensured until Riley started forwards and punched Huey, hard, in the face, knocking his brother backwards. Huey stumbled, only staying upright from the hand that steadied himself on the doorway, but he didn't bother to defend himself like Riley knew he could. He seemed to just accept it.

"Riley…"

"_No_, nigga!" The sixteen year old threw another blow, this time one that Huey blocked easily, again and again until Riley grew exasperated, tossing punches haphazardly, "you think yo ass can just come back an ev'thing be aiight again? _Fuck_ you, Huey-"

Sure that Cindy was deeply asleep, Huey had stepped forward and managed something he hadn't done in years; pulling Riley into a tight embrace. His little brother fought against it for a moment, throwing fists that became less and less forceful by the minute until, defeated, he hugged his brother back and mumbled,

"Nigga, you gay."

* * *

><p>"<em>Damn<em>, Riley," Huey understood that his brother maybe have struggled with the bills to start with, but he hadn't expected to find the _entire_ breakfast table _covered_ in them, "you're lucky I came back when I did."

"I knew you'd be back, nigga," Riley mumbled as he pawed through the sparse cupboards, "Ain't nobody able tah stay away from Reezy."

Huey said nothing, sifting through the ocean of bills as he strained to sort them into some kind of reasonable order, not even bothering to comment that the Dentists wouldn't be keeping away either, if his little brother kept up with his sugar addiction. It was only amidst doughnuts and bills that Cindy arrived, yawning in one of Riley's shirts that practically dwarfed her slim frame, her Rapunzel-like hair spiralling wildly down her back. She snatched the box of glazed doughnuts from her boyfriend (who protested with something along the lines of "gish 'at baff,") and sat down opposite Huey who, in his modesty, forced himself to look anywhere other than her incredibly exposed chest.

"Aye, Fro's back," as if only just noticing the hair behind the stack of bills, Cindy pushed the papers aside to frown at her boyfriend's brother, "Da fuck you been, nigga?"

"Away from ignorant white people like you," Huey retorted immediately, side-stepping away from the breakfast table to snatch up the duffel bag he'd left with, slinging it lazily over one shoulder.

"You goin' already?" Both Cindy and Huey's heads snapped around in surprise at Riley's unusually sensitive outburst, and he didn't seem to realise he had voiced his thoughts aloud for a moment, "Don' forget dah milk, gay-ass nigga."

Huey grunted, moving to leave when the front door slammed open, a burst of cool air filling the hall. Jazmine DuBois, in all her frizzy-haired, bare-faced, pyjama-clad glory exploded into the house like a whirlwind or a tornado or a tsunami or…Huey ran out of similes. There was no point in trying to be clever when no one could hear you. Panting, Jazmine grabbed his shoulder and doubled over, wheezing slightly,

"I …ran…all the….way…._here_."

"Jazmine, you live across the street."

The young revolutionary didn't knock away her hand in disgust, much to Riley and Cindy's utter confusion, their perplexity of the situation completely overriding their immature hatred towards the mulatto girl.

"Where the _hell_ have you been?!" Her breath suddenly back, Jazmine punched Huey in the same shoulder, taking him by surprise, "You missed Riley's _birthday_! We've. All. Been. So. Worried-"

She slapped anywhere she could reach (really only his chest and arms, her being almost a foot shorter than he was) with each word, each hit harder than the last until Huey grabbed her wrists, the abrupt movement halting Jazmine in her tracks.

There was a tense pause; Huey and Jazmine started at each other for a moment, ignorant to the frustrations of Riley and Cindy in the kitchen. While Cindy was fairly clueless, all Riley could do was think back to the day of his grandfather's funeral, when his brother and _her_ had disappeared for several hours. Whether alone or together, he could be sure; but if they had been together…

Several things happened at once.

The pause, Jazmine clearly decided, had gone on long enough and, needing a suitable finale, she leant forward and crushed her lips to Huey's with a passion far deeper than anything she had felt in the years with Caesar. Riley choked on his (third) doughnut, Cindy exclaimed so foully that _it could not be repeated without causing severe offense_, and Huey? Well. Huey just kissed Jazmine back. He just wanted to _touch_ her; his hands were in her hair, her hips, her waist, the small of her back, _everywhere_. He didn't care that his little brother and Cindy were present, he didn't even care about the revolution. All he could think about was _Jazmine_.

"_What da __**fuckin'**__ hell is goin' on_?!"

It was only after Riley had managed to swallow his breakfast that he was able to scream at his brother, and even then, Huey had difficulty letting Jazmine go. When they did manage to break apart, Huey, for probably the first time in his life, struggled to find any words to explain what was going on. How could he? He hadn't even been sure of it himself until a few minutes ago.

"You gon' explain why da _fuck_ you kissin' dat half-breed _bitch_?!" Riley gesticulated violently in Jazmine's area, intimidating her enough to cause her to step back slightly behind Huey, "How long has dis _sneakin'_ around been goin' on for, _nigga_? _Eh_?! …_Yous two was fuckin' at Granddad's funeral, wasn't you?_ **Wasn't you?!"**

He made a lunge for his brother that Cindy didn't even bother try to stop, Huey managing to block the hit far easier than he would have done a few months ago.

"What the _hell_, Riley? You think I'm that _fucking_ ignorant to...to…_do something_ at Granddad's funeral?! You're _sick_. _The fuck is wrong with you?!"_

"_Yo ass is what fuckin' wrong wit me, Huey! You fuckin-"_

"Stop it_! Stop it! Stop fighting!" _Jazmine struggled to break up the brothers who had squared up only centimetres from each other, Huey's palms clenched into tight fists as she looked desperately over at Cindy, "_Cindy_! Help me break them up-_Riley don't you dare_!"

Riley wasn't sure how it happened, none of them really were. His hand had been aiming straight for Huey, right between the eyes, he had a perfect shot with his brother holding back (for whatever bitch-ass reason). But instead of hitting Huey, something went wrong, and his fist collided with someone else. Not even Jazmine was sure how it happened; she supposed she'd seen the hand coming towards Huey and leapt in the way without thinking. Either way, it was she who soon nursed a bloody nose, rather than her…boyfriend?

"_Fuck_! What'chu get in da way for?!" Riley glared at the mulatto as though his punch was somehow her fault, "Look what'chu made me do, bitch!"

"Don't _fucking_ call her that!" Huey swung immediately at his brother, his fist smacking neatly into the side of Riley's face, enough force to knock him over.

"Nonono! _No_! Huey don't hit him! I'm fine," Jazmine wavered on the spot, blood pouring between her tanned fingers as she tried to pull the brothers apart, "Really, Huey, I'm-"

She had wanted to say fine, absolutely perfect, especially after that kiss only a few minutes ago. But she figured she must have lost a lot of blood; Riley wasn't as weak as he used to be, and she felt more like she was going to faint…maybe even throw up, at this rate. Either way, she must have looked pretty pale for Cindy, of all people, to rush to her side; Huey even handed her a towel to hold against her nose (at the time she hadn't really seen Huey; more a hazy blur of hands and afros).

She started to feel dizzy, seriously dizzy; the room was spinning and she could barely focus on anything, sight or sound. Huey and Riley were still arguing, she wasn't sure where Cindy had got to but she needed Huey, needed to tell him…

"Huey," her voice was so faint, barely above a whisper, that she wondered if it was really spoken outloud, "Huey, I think I'm going to…"

And then everything went black.

* * *

><p>For a moment, Jazmine went unnoticed. Her head lolled forwards, her limbs went limb, and it was only as she slumped sideways to land with an audible <em>thud<em> at the bottom of the staircase, that Huey and Riley finally shut up.

"Aw _fuckin'_ hell, I killed da bitch."

"For the last time _stop calling her that_," as calmly as ever, Huey nudged his way forwards to check Jazmine over, "She's still alive. Just unconscious."

"Well _fuck_ me."

Ignoring his ignorant-as-always little brother, deciding their argument was finished (for now, at least…) Huey scooped up Jazmine's spindly frame into his arms, surprised at how light she was, and carried her upstairs. He couldn't be more grateful that she had stopped bleeding and, after pausing in the doorframe of the guest-turned-Riley's-room and remembering the compromising situation he'd found his brother and girlfriend in that morning, decided to drop Jazmine off on his bed. There was a moment, when standing beside his unconscious…girlfriend? – when Huey realised he didn't quite know what to do. He could stay there with her, and maybe read a book, or he could go downstairs and ignore Riley's immaturity.

There wasn't really much competition.

* * *

><p>It was only about fifteen minutes later when Huey, who had been re-re-re(you get the picture)-reading Malcom X's autobiography in his armchair, was rudely interrupted by none other than his fuming best friend. To say Caesar looked like he had just rolled out of bed was an understatement; his dreads were rumpled and thoroughly shaggy at their partings, giving him the rather odd appearance of a miniature afro beneath the braids. He was wearing sagging tracksuit bottoms that made Riley's "gangsta" jeans look tight and his T-shirt was not only backwards, but also inside out. His feet were bare and Huey didn't doubt that he'd run over in his slippers, pretty sure he'd been running from the heavy, wheezing pants that Caesar made, despite being the football captain.<p>

Huey supposed two miles was fairly far for fifteen minutes.

"Don't bother knocking, it's not like I have a door for privacy or anything."

"Save it, _Huey_," Caesar glanced over at Jazmine's unconscious form beneath Huey's duvet (he'd figured it was quite a cold room to be unconscious in), "You're fucking her as well?!"

"Wait, what?" Huey, normally the first to figure things out, was stupefied, "Caez, what are you on about? Riley punched her in the no-what makes you think we're…what?"

"Oh quit _fucking_ pretending," Caesar's rage seemed to fill the doorframe, and Huey considered whether he should be worried or not, "Cindy texted me _everything_."

"Of course she did," Huey rolled his eyes and finally closed his book," Caesar, what's your problem? Jazmine and I aren't having sex, but even if we were I don't believe it's any of your business."

"How long has this been going on?! You're _supposed_ to be my best mate, I'd never go behind your-"

"I wasn't going behind your back," Huey was struggling to remain calm; none of this was making sense, "You moved onto that new girl, what, two weeks ago?"

"What new-" Caesar faulted before glaring at his best friend, "_Daisy_?! Huey, you fucking-_Daisy's my cousin!"_

Ah.

"I still love Jazmine, Huey. You knew that but you…you…decided to ignore it, you _chose_ to-"

"_Fuck_," Huey cradled his forehead in his hand, elbow propped up on his desk, "Caez, I had no idea…I thought…_shit_."

The last he muttered under his breath, but not quietly enough for Caesar to miss, who trundled reluctantly over to his best friend, pulling up a chair aside Huey.

"I'm glad you're back, man," Caesar ran a hand through his ruffled dreadlocks, suppressing a yawn, "Even though you did fuck up."

Huey said nothing, thoughts racing through his mind a mile a minute as he struggled to find a solution to the absolutely ridiculous situation. There was an endless moment of silence, with the only possible noise being so quiet, neither boy managed to hear over their screaming ponderings.

"All this time?" Caesar stared his friend dead in the eye, chocolate brown hitting maroon, if only for a fleeting second. Huey was quiet again for a while, fingers running over the safe pages of his book before he mumbled, barely audibly,

"Of course."

Jazmine smiled.

Trying to lie still after rising to the surface of consciousness was incredibly difficult work, especially for a person as fidgety as herself. Her right leg was aching almost as much as her throbbing nose, and her right arm was dappled with pins and needles. Her head was stuffy, but as far as she was aware, she'd been awake ever since Caesar stormed into the bedroom, demanding answers. She couldn't believe what she'd heard; how could Caesar have still loved her? He'd been so cold after her mistakes, and that girl…she could have sworn there was more going on that day in the canteen than just _cousins_. And then she'd heard Huey….

"Is she alright? Jazmine, I mean-"

"Yeah. Riley just managed to knock her out… fucking nigga. He didn't quite break her nose."

Caesar frowned slightly before standing up, stretching a little as he went,

"'M I aight to grab some breakfast? I've not eaten, but if the fridge is full of your Vegan rabbit-food…."

"Probably full of sugar-coated shit," Huey scowled as he picked his book up again, "Riley's been on his own for half a month, one bite of anything an' your teeth will drop out."

"Perfect," Caesar grinned, slapping his best friend jovially on the shoulder and knocking him into the side of his armchair, "See you downstairs."

Huey buried his nose back into his book, just for the few seconds allowing Caesar's footsteps to reach ground level, before he smirked into the pages,

"You can sit up now."

"_You knew?!"_ Jazmine hoisted herself up into something that just resembled a sitting position, forcing a look of irritation, "You _knew_ I was awake the whole time and let me pretend like that?"

"It was amusing, to say the least," Huey's smirk grew by the second, "I'll be honest, I was impressed you managed to lie like that for so long."

Her only retaliation was to throw a pillow at his face, knocking Malcom X to the ground with a doleful _thud_ and receiving a cold glare from the young revolutionary. For a split second, hunched there on the bed, Jazmine truly believed Huey was about to retaliate violently, and there was no doubt she felt slightly intimidated when he began to pace steadily towards her. She supposed she still felt slightly intimidated when he knelt before her on the bed, but when he was holding her hands, pinning her down and only centimetres from her face…she didn't feel intimidated at all.

"Is this right?" Jazmine watched Huey with a mingled curiosity, "We keep meeting like this. What even are "we," anyway?"

"I don't know," Huey himself nudged his chin down slightly, his fingers caressing her palms as he brushed his lips against hers, kissing her slowly, softly, "But I like it."

* * *

><p>And there we have it guys! Chapter Eleven…<em>finally<em>. Thank you all so much for being perfectly patient and, please _please_ **please**, drop me a review:) I appreciate them so much:)


	16. Reminiscent

Chapter Twelve

* * *

><p>Jazmine hadn't felt more like herself in years. It was a warm, Monday evening in April, and she was lounging in the Freeman's back garden, head and arms dangling out of the tree-house built by the brothers almost five years ago. Her hair was a tangled mess of cinnamon fuzz that she was allowing to sun-dry, and she was wearing a strappy vest top with a pair of acid-rinsed shorts, ratty high-rise Converses dangling from her feet. She sunlight was warm and soothing on her back, her eyes were closed to the world, and she was happy. For the first time in years, Jazmine felt nothing but pure, unfaltering bliss.<p>

Her parents had divorced little under two weeks ago, but she was working hard not to let it bother her. It was now just her and Tom in their large Woodcrest home but, surprisingly, things seemed to be going much smoother ever since Sarah left (for her slightly chunkier version of Barak Obama in Los Angeles). But Jazmine was eighteen, in a few months she would be leaving for University and a mother wasn't what she needed right now, especially not one that lied and cheated her way through life.

Anyway, nothing really mattered, as long as she had Huey. Her boyfriend for almost three weeks…the thought of it fizzled adrenaline through Jazmine's core. Said boyfriend was at her side that very moment, scanning a newspaper lazily on his stomach, trying to ignore the spark each and every time their skin brushed as he turned a page. One thing that had always been surprising about Huey was the outlet for his emotions, and what was even more surprising was what that came down to.

It didn't take a genius to figure that within the first few seconds of meeting Huey Freeman, the control of his feelings was taken care of as easily and as much second nature as breathing. He almost always wore that trademark scowl on his face, though Jazmine had been able to worm more and more expressions out of him as the days wore on…mostly positive ones. But keeping all those emotions inside of you took quite a deal of strength, and even Huey Freeman had to take a break now and then, albeit it a miniscule one. Weirdly enough for health-freak-Huey, he ended up comfort eating. And even more weirdly, it was always nachos and cheese.

Jazmine had no idea where the frankly…_random_ episode came from, no one else seemed to apart from Riley, who was ever-secretive about his life before Woodcrest, and so made no attempt to pry. With Huey, prying always left you pushed away rather than held closer. She hadn't been able to contain her amusement when he started to make the snack in the Kitchen, alarmed there was nothing green on his plate for once,

"Are you sure you're feeling ok?" She had craned up to feel his forehead as he bent over the grill, "I think you're burning up."

"Well I am leaning over a hot surface, Jazmine, I'm bound to get warmer," Huey, King-of-the-bleeding-obvious replied, scowling as he prodded some of the cheese with a fork, "I'm hungry."

"Normally when you say that, you go for…a pineapple or something," Jazmine realised she was gesticulating violently, but didn't bother to calm her hands, "Not this. I have to force you to eat stuff like this."

"You don't have to force me to eat nachos," Huey muttered, pulling the food from the grill when deemed suitable, slapping away Jazmine's hopeful fingers, "Mine."

"Don't be such a baby," She imitated his smirk to perfection, snatching up a handful of the nachos and shoveling them into her mouth, "Mmmhhm, 'elishhfoushh."

"Well that was just a waste," Huey edged the plate away from her further before she could take more, "Don't even think about it."

"Have you heard from Caesar recently?" Jazmine questioned cautiously as Huey carried the plate into the living room.

Though they seemed to have left the relationship on a fairly high note, Caesar had rarely been in touch since their final conversation and Huey, being Huey, hadn't attempted to bridge the connection…mostly out of stubbornness. Whether he regretted this miscommunication, Jazmine wasn't sure, but she had an idea.

"What do you want to watch?" Huey smoothly changed the topic, scooting along the sofa as she sank into the cushions beside him.

"_Mean Girls_?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he picked up a nacho with uncanny delicacy, "We're not watching two hours of commercialized bull-"

"_Thank you!"_

Jazmine grinned, kissing his cheek lightly before practically skipping over to the television to slot the film in. Huey grumbled, fidgeted and generally complained throughout the entire thing, saying there were so many better things he could be doing on his day off, but Jazmine liked to think that he was just making a fuss to keep his ego in check. And she was normally right.

"Where's Riley? I haven't seen him since he and Cindy-"

She was cut off when Huey muted the film so certain…_noises_, could be heard from the room directly above, leaving Jazmine blushing darker than probably possible,

"_Oh_."

"I have the pleasure of seeing her everyday," Huey turned the sound up so high that their glasses rattled on the coasters, "All day. Bloody animals."

_Mean Girls_ passed without too much trouble from Huey or the couple in Riley's bedroom, though she did wonder if the latter had prepared a suitable entrance on purpose, cueing themselves downstairs as the credits began to roll. Riley's braids were scraggy and tangled, and he was only wearing his boxer shorts while Cindy, who had impressively-volumed bed hair, was just in one of his baggy basketball shirts that came to her mid-thigh. Huey, who had pulled a newspaper out of nowhere, looked slightly disgusted with a wrinkled nose behind the sheets, whereas Jazmine was fairly curious.

"You guys are pretty loud."

Maybe it was a touchy subject, or maybe it was just strange to hear that kind of bluntness come from her mouth, but either way Cindy, at least, looked slightly horrified,

"You heard us-"

"'Course 'ey did, Babe," Riley put on his sleaziest grin and slung an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders, "Niggas know Young Reezy got da loudest-"

Huey coughed suddenly into his newspaper, interrupting the sentence and gaining a well-rehearsed scowl from Riley, who retorted by tugging Cindy into the kitchen.

"Best not go in there for a while," Huey turned a page in his paper, "They could win a world record. Twice."

"That's gross, Huey."

"Lots of things are."

He was getting too serious. Now, Jazmine was pretty damn aware that Huey Freeman was a sincere individual; come on, she'd known him for most of her life now. It was kind of obvious. But in the past few weeks she had taken on a new job, specifically that of keeping her …_boyfriend_ (that still sounded so strange to her, in Huey terms…) in check. The problem with having a permanent default emotion, was that the others got clogged up inside, and seeing as Huey was still the main earner (and carer of the slightly immature Riley) meant he was under a hell of a lot more stress than most kids their age.

That, and though he wouldn't admit it, he was still getting over the loss of his grandfather.

"Let's go do something fun," Jazmine grabbed his hand and played with his fingers, trying to distract him from the perpetually depressing news, "Come on."

"What, exactly, do you deem as fun?" Huey folded the paper with an impatient sigh, "Because I think we have very different ideas-"

"Let's go to the hill," She nudged him gently to his feet, "You like the hill."

His agreement came only as an indistinguishable grunt, the language of teenage boys that Jazmine was quickly becoming fluent in, and she grinned as she led him out of the front door.

The hill did look really quite spectacular that night, even Huey had to admit it. They sat together on the branch that stooped into a bench, just large enough for a couple to share, and watched the sunset fade from crimson to violet. The late Spring breeze was cool enough from him to give Jazmine his jacket (she just _would_ wear skimpy clothes at the first hope of sunlight) but sweet enough to barely caress their skin, fluttering through their clothes like hundreds of butterfly wings. All he could think about was Jazmine and the millions of seconds they had spent together there, under that tree, on that particular spot, always. There was something beautiful in that simplicity that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Why did you want to come here?"

"I don't know," Jazmine turned to smile at him, her hair sunset-dyed foaming around her shoulders, tickling his cheek as she leant in to kiss him, "I guess I was just feeling kinda reminiscent."

* * *

><p><em>I didn't have the time to reply to any of your perfect reviews today, because it's midnight and I am going on holiday in about nine hours. But I wanted to say <em>_**Thank you, **__because honestly, without them I probably would not have continued this. The support you guys have given me on this story is incredible and I absolutely love each and all of you and your gorgeous reviews. I am so, incredibly sorry that this took 4 months to write…I've had an insane time recently and getting this out just wouldn't work. I haven't totally fallen out of this amazing fandom, and I do have some more ideas, they just might take a little while right now. So much to think about. __I'll try to __I will reply to your reviews some other way, but until then, __**thank you so so much, you perfectly patient and amazing people, thank you for everything and I hope you enjoyed the last chapter of Reminiscence. **__I feel quite sad that this story is over, actually….40,000 words later. Please review if you liked it or hated it or…anything, really:) You know how much it means to me, and I'll get back to you as soon as physically possible – Kaz._


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